Gezicht op de rivier Bure te Great Yarmouth before 1890

Editor: This is "Gezicht op de rivier Bure te Great Yarmouth" by Peter Henry Emerson, likely before 1890. It’s a gelatin-silver print. I’m immediately drawn to the granular texture; it almost obscures the scene itself, which depicts a river with structures along the bank. What can you tell me about how the photograph was produced and how that affects what we see? Curator: Looking at Emerson's process here, the materiality of gelatin-silver printing is key. The gelatin emulsion binds the silver halides that form the image. It's not just a transparent layer; it physically embodies the image. The dark, visible grains tell us something about labor, both in making the negative and creating this final print. It also demonstrates Emerson's choice to prioritize the aesthetics of production. Editor: So, the "imperfection" is part of the point? Curator: Exactly. Emerson champions what many at the time might consider a flaw, that of visible grain in the printing. Rather than suppressing the process, he embraces it. It forces us to consider the means by which we come to representational pictures, rather than take the image for granted. Think about the chemical processes, the handling of materials… what stories are embedded in these decisions? Editor: That’s fascinating. I always thought of photography as simply capturing a scene, but the process clearly has so much to say itself. Curator: It certainly does. Considering this piece from a materialist point of view really shifts the focus from a purely aesthetic reading to an understanding of production and labour that lies at the heart of the piece. I would say this understanding enriches, not impoverishes the experience. Editor: Absolutely. I’ll definitely be looking at photographs differently now. Thanks for pointing all of this out!