Dr John Adamson

Dr John Adamson

Medicine,Photography

Profession: Physician Chemist

history,photography

1809

Organisation

190

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adamson_(physician)

TEXT

Q6218245

D.O.B: 1809 D.O.D: 1870 Family origins: Father: Alexander Adamson (tenant farmer at Burnside, 5 miles from St Andrews) mother: Rachael Melville Education: Studied medicine in St Andrews and Edinburgh Private life/family life: Married Esther Christina Alexander 1850; many children (Professional) Role in St Andrews: Practitioner of Medicine Taught Chemistry and Natural Science at Madras College school (1837-1840) Years in St Andrews: Almost entire life

Involved in which fields of scholarship? Medicine, Photography Most famous contribution(s) to scholarship/inventions/… 1 (i.e. in geology): Shorter exposure times for photographs Most famous contribution(s) to scholarship/inventions/… 2 (i.e. in philosophy): First calotype in Scotland in 1840: note that Talbot patented the process in 1839

1870

Other societies/groups in St Andrews? St Andrews Literary and Philosophical Society Curator of Literary and Philosophical Society Museum from 1838 until his death Other societies/groups elsewhere? Edinburgh Calotype Club Associated places in St Andrews: (e.g. home, lab, favourite spot) Madras College School: taught His house: nowadays the Restaurant “The Adamson” Possible human interest story 1: He encouraged his younger brother to become a photographer and was the teacher of both his brother and Thomas Rodger Possible human interest story 2: Part of the circle of Brewster, making experiments on photography Possible human interest story 3: Meetings of the Literary and Philosophical society were the occasion for the exhibition and discussion of the photographs taken by William Henry Fox Talbot, Hugh Lyon Playfair, the Adamson brothers and others. Connected to other people in St Andrews or elsewhere?: Sir David Brewster Thomas Rodger Biographical sources: (e.g. OxDNB, family memoir, other...) https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/john-adamson#:~:text=Wikipedia%20entry,portrait%20in%20Scotland%20in%201841. https://digital.nls.uk/pencilsoflight/biography.cfm Available images of the person: St Andrews University Photographic Collections Available images of places/objects associated with the person: House with his family: St Andrews University Photographic Collections Could take photograph of plaquette on Adamson’s house as well as of house and restaurant Himself with his dog: National Galleries of Scotland (https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/john-adamson#:~:text=Wikipedia%20entry,portrait%20in%20Scotland%20in%201841)