Early photographs of Edinburgh to be shown in new National Galleries show

Boatman Sandy Linton pictured at Newhaven Harbour.

Around 100 images created by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson at their studio on the capital's Calton Hill will be going on display next year.

They will include some of the world's first images of working class people, which were captured in the fishing community at Newhaven.

Adamson, an engineer, and painter Hill first joined forces in 1843 to capture a dramatic split in the Church of Scotland.

In the space of five years until Adamson's death, at the age of just 26, they produced around 3000 images, which are regarded as some of the most sophisticated photography created after its invention in 1839.

The National Galleries, which is staging a celebration of their work from May-September next year, boasts the world's largest archive of material by Hill and Adamson.

It says the exhibition will show how "two Scots had mastered the new medium and were producing works of breathtaking skill, in extraordinary quantities."

The exhibition on Hill and Adamson, who carried out their photographic experiments at Rock House on Calton Hill, will feature a host of their images of Edinburgh's landscape in the mid-19th century.

A spokesman said: "One of the most significant aspects of their work was their exploration of the life of the fishing community at Newhaven on the Firth of Forth.

"These stunning images, which belie the almost unimaginable technical challenges faced by the duo, are arguably among the first examples of social documentary in the history of photography.

"This exhibition will feature a selection of around 100 photographs, consisting of original paper negatives and salted paper prints, which will demonstrate the profound significance of their achievement."

Other shows in the National Galleries line-up next year include one devoted to "the bad boy of 17th century Italian art," Caravaggio.

A celebration of "avant-garde" work created by Scottish artists in the first half of the 20th century will "challenge the accepted view of the domination of the Scottish Colourists."