Talking of illustrious ancestors, as I was yesterday, I do have one or two famous ones, one more famous than the other, depending on your interests! The first one is David Octavius Hill, an artist from Perth (Scotland) originally. His main work of art is his painting of the "Disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843" His idea was to paint all the church ministers who broke away from the established church in 1843, but it would have been impossible for him to do sittings with every one of them in the time they were in Edinburgh.
Then he was introduced to pioneer photographer Robert Adamson, and the suggestion was made that 'photos' could be taken of them all and at a later stage Hill would paint them into his picture! The two men began working together, Adamson taking the pictures - or calotypes - while Hill did the arranging of the subjects to make the most of the available light. Later, they worked together on other subjects, and a series of pictures were taken in the village of Newhaven, a fishing village near Leith, outside the city of Edinburgh on the south bank of the Firth of Forth.
Then he was introduced to pioneer photographer Robert Adamson, and the suggestion was made that 'photos' could be taken of them all and at a later stage Hill would paint them into his picture! The two men began working together, Adamson taking the pictures - or calotypes - while Hill did the arranging of the subjects to make the most of the available light. Later, they worked together on other subjects, and a series of pictures were taken in the village of Newhaven, a fishing village near Leith, outside the city of Edinburgh on the south bank of the Firth of Forth.
The fisherfolk wore distinctive costumes, especially the women who would carry the catches of fish in their creels - or wicker baskets - to sell to the people of Edinburgh. One of my very early memories is of a fishwife coming to our house with a creel that she carried on her back by means of a leather strap across her forehead! She displayed the fish in a shallow wicker dish-like tray on the top of her creel, for mother to choose from. I can only remember her dressed from head to toe in black, and not like the women in the Hill and Adamson calotypes. Let me show you great great grand-uncle David, youngest brother of my great great grandmother Mary.
Here he is standing at the gate to his home in Edinburgh.Now to show you one of the calotypes he and Adamson took. It is one of the Newhaven series and the subject is "The Pastor's visit". In the picture, the pastor/minister is seated at a table talking to a group of fishwives. Behind him, standing, is the church elder for the parish, James Gall. As that picture was taken none of them knew that many years down the line, the elder's great grand-son would marry Hill's grand niece, who became my grandparents! They aren't really bored with what's going on - though you never know! It was just that the exposure took a long time and they all had to stay quite still, so that's what all the leaning on arms is all about.
The second illustrious ancestor is not actually James Gall, church elder, although he left his mark too, by introducing a form of raised letters to enable the blind to read. This was used with great success at the Blind Asylum in Edinburgh, of which he was the founder, but eventually after a few other peoples' attempts to find suitable ways of teaching the blind to read, Braille's version was adopted.
It was actually James Gall jnr, church minister, who was interested among other things, in astronomy, whose name became more well known. He wrote books on religion and astronomy and developed a way of putting down on paper a map of the constellations that didn't distort the positions of the stars! It became widely adopted. Now to be quite honest I have no idea what that is all about, but apparently he adapted this plan for maps of the world too - a method of laying out the world map on flat paper..... Don't ask me! I'm clueless! Look him up on the internet. Anyway this is JG jnr, the reverend! (His wife, great great grandmother, was my Northern Irish link!) 
And, just another picture before I finish off! You're getting spoiled today - with 4 of my layouts!!!!! I just thought I would throw this one in to show four generations of the Gall and Inglis family.
I love this family photo! Old James Gall, the elder in the calotype, is sitting in the centre with his son Rev. James Gall, back left. (JG snr's wife died a good number of years before the picture was taken, and JG jnr's just a few years previously.) His daughter Eliza is sitting on the right of the picture, arm round James my grandfather, and her husband behind them. The lady seated beside old JG, is his elder daughter, the younger one is standing second right. The other lady standing, is sister of Eliza and the other two children are my grandfather's sister and brother!
And, just another picture before I finish off! You're getting spoiled today - with 4 of my layouts!!!!! I just thought I would throw this one in to show four generations of the Gall and Inglis family.I love this family photo! Old James Gall, the elder in the calotype, is sitting in the centre with his son Rev. James Gall, back left. (JG snr's wife died a good number of years before the picture was taken, and JG jnr's just a few years previously.) His daughter Eliza is sitting on the right of the picture, arm round James my grandfather, and her husband behind them. The lady seated beside old JG, is his elder daughter, the younger one is standing second right. The other lady standing, is sister of Eliza and the other two children are my grandfather's sister and brother!Well, now that I have confused you, I'm off!
Talk again soon!
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