Robert Turnbull Macpherson (1814–1872) was born in Edinburgh, the son of a solicitor. He showed an early talent for drawing and painting and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1840 he left Scotland for Rome, Italy, initally working as a painter and art dealer. In 1851, he turned to the new art of photography, using albumin on glass negatives. By 1856 he had transitioned to collodio-albumin, allowing the easier transport of dry plates. He typically used large-format negatives and long exposure times to attain exceptional detail of Roman architecture, monuments, ruins, landscapes and sculptures. By the early 1860s, Macpherson's photographic career was near its zenith, with exhibitions in Edinburgh and London. He was the first photographer permitted to photograph inside the Vatican.
Macpherson died in Rome in 1872. His photographs can be found in significant numbers at George Eastman House, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and the British School at Rome.
