A Landmark Publication. A Rare Collecting Opportunity.

We are proud to announce the publication of Hill and Adamson’s The Fisherwomen and Men of the Firth of Forth by Sara Stevenson, released in May 2026 by Studies in Photography.

This remarkable new volume brings together many previously unpublished photographs by the pioneering Scottish photographers David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, created in collaboration with Jessie Mann. Across 160 beautifully produced pages, the book reintroduces one of the most important bodies of work in the history of photography.

Focusing on the fishing communities of the Firth of Forth—especially the village of Newhaven—these images are widely regarded as the world’s first social documentary photographs. At their heart are the fisherwomen: strong, resilient, and central to the life and economy of their community. Their presence, alongside the fishermen, is captured with extraordinary sensitivity through the calotype process, whose soft tonalities give these portraits a timeless immediacy.

This publication restores balance to the historical narrative and invites a fresh encounter with images that continue to shape our understanding of photography today.

The Book

Hill and Adamson’s The Fisherwomen and Men of the Firth of Forth is authored by Sara Stevenson. 

This beautifully produced 160-page hardback brings together many previously unpublished images, offering a renewed perspective on Hill & Adamson’s celebrated series of the fishing communities of the Firth of Forth.

At its heart are the fisherwomen of Newhaven—figures of strength, resilience, and economic independence—captured with extraordinary sensitivity through the calotype process. Their presence, alongside the fishermen, forms what is widely regarded as the earliest sustained body of social documentary photography.

Through careful scholarship and curation, this publication restores balance to the historical narrative and invites a deeper engagement with images that continue to resonate across nearly two centuries.

The Collector’s Edition Prints

To mark the publication, a strictly limited series of museum-quality modern prints has been created.

Curated by Sara Stevenson and Michael Gray, five images have been selected to represent the depth and humanity of Hill & Adamson’s work.

Each print:

• Is drawn from a limited edition of just 50
• Is produced to the highest archival standards
• Is presented within a signed portfolio

These prints are not reproductions in the ordinary sense—they are contemporary objects of craftsmanship, extending the life of the original images into the present.

Individual print: £185
Complete boxed set (five prints): £750