Annie Farnie
- Artist: Robert Adamson
- Artist: David Octavius Hill
- Date: 1843
- Medium: carbon print
- Dimensions: 6 1/8in. x 8 3/8in. (156 mm x 212 mm)
- Portrays: Annie Farnie
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
"This is *Annie Farnie*. In the 1843 carbon print we see a young girl holding her sister Harriet in a gentle embrace. Beside them lies Brownie, a terrier pup from Hill’s household, peacefully sleeping – a touch of domestic intimacy rare for early photographs. The image was made by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, two pioneers who teamed up to capture portraits of prominent Scottish figures during the 1840s. Their partnership produced more than four hundred prints, but this one feels especially relaxed: the children pose naturally, as if caught in a quiet moment rather than staged for long exposure times. The print measures roughly 156 × 212 mm, a small portrait that invites close inspection of each detail.”
See it in person
Annie Farnie is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
