At the Covert Corner (Norfolk) c. 1883 - 1888

Peter Henry Emerson made this photogravure, ‘At the Covert Corner (Norfolk)’ using a camera and photographic printing in the late nineteenth century. He wanted to show photography could be art. Emerson was part of the ‘naturalistic photography’ movement. This was a reaction to the formal studio portraiture that was popular at the time and the sentimental paintings favored by the art establishment. This image, made in Norfolk, England, shows a hunter in his element, next to his dog, with his kill at his feet. Hunting was becoming increasingly popular among the upper and middle classes, and in this image Emerson captured an idealized image of rural life. Emerson, who was trained as a doctor, wrote books and essays and gave lectures to promote photography as art and to provide instruction for amateurs. To understand the context of this image, one can look at photographic journals of the time and explore the institutions that shaped this debate. Such resources demonstrate that the meaning of art depends on its social and institutional setting.