On show until spring 2025, Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh shows photography work dating from the 1840s to the present day, with over 100 images in this free-to-visit exhibition ranging from historic photographs to famous pop culture faces.

In the 1980s, recognition of photography as an art form was growing rapidly, as museums and galleries around the world looked to establish and grow their collections. Having begun collecting photography in the late 19th century, the National Galleries of Scotland formally established its collection in 1984. Now numbering over 55,000 pieces, it is regarded as one of the best in the UK and, due to its original remit to collect the best of both Scottish and international photography, has developed over the last 40 years to have a global reach.

Comprising six themes – portraiture, landscape, documentary photography, archives, inclusion and experimentation – the exhibition explores the major themes, subjects and processes from throughout the history of photography, from the pioneering work of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson to modern greats such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Robert Mapplethorpe and Annie Leibovitz.