David Octavius Hill RSA
Born 20 May 1802
Died 17 May 1870
Active: 1821 - 1870
Country of birth and death: Scotland
Painter, photographer, illustrator
Painter and pioneer in photography. Hill was also an influential member of the Edinburgh art community. He was one of the founders of the Society of Artists in 1829 and became its secretary in 1830. When the society became the The Royal Scottish Academy in 1838, Hill continued as secretary and remained in this post for the remainder of his life. In 1830 he assisted in the foundation of the Art Union of Edinburgh and was appointed one of the commissioners of the board of manufactures in Scotland in 1850, a body then responsible for the Government School of Art and the new National Gallery of Scotland.
In 1862 he married the sculptor, Amelia Robertson Paton. Their marriage was happy as well as benefiting their careers. The eighteen sculptures Amelia exhibited at the Royal Academy in London helped extend his reputation. David's role as secretary to the Royal Scottish Academy may have assisted Amelia in securing public commissions. In 1868 Hill developed rheumatic fever and he died in 1870.
Institutional and Business Connections
Elected ARSA The Royal Scottish Academy
1826
Resigned
Elected RSA The Royal Scottish Academy
1829
Secretary of The Royal Scottish Academy
1838 - 1870
Having previously been secretary of the Royal Scottish Academy's precursor, the Society of Artists
Personal and Professional Connections
Portrayed in bust by Amelia Robertson Hill
1867 (Circa)
Wife/husband/spouse to Amelia Robertson Hill
18 November 1862
David Octavius Hill's second marriage
Sources
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2004
Larry J. Schaaf, ‘Hill, David Octavius (1802–1870)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13270, accessed 23 Oct 2010]
Citing this record
'David Octavius Hill RSA', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib6_1220024308, accessed 04 Oct 2023]
