The Last of the Ebb-Great Yarmouth from Breydon 1887

Peter Henry Emerson made this photograph, “The Last of the Ebb-Great Yarmouth from Breydon,” using the photogravure process. A copper plate is coated with a light-sensitive gelatin tissue, exposed to a photographic negative, and then etched. The varying depths of the etch create tonal variations when the plate is inked and printed, like an engraving, yet with a photographic image. Photogravure was often used for fine art reproductions because of its high level of detail. Yet here, Emerson uses it as an artistic medium in its own right. Look closely, and you’ll see how the granular texture creates a sense of atmosphere, enhancing the bleakness of the landscape. The image itself speaks volumes about labor and the landscape at the turn of the century. Great Yarmouth, a port city in eastern England, is here depicted at low tide. Its outline on the horizon is dominated by factories, their chimneys belching smoke. In the foreground, workers struggle to navigate their boats through the mud. Emerson here shows the impact of industrialization on both the environment, and the lives of working people.