FIND SOLACE IN THE “SIMPLE LIFE” AT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM

The Museum Unveils Unique Naturalistic Photography from Legendary Artist Peter Henry Emerson

(Norfolk, VA)— Peter Henry Emerson, who is aptly described as a rather complex figure in the world of photography, found his greatest comfort in the simplicity of life. This revolutionary artist spent a portion of his career capturing some of the most compelling images of the Norfolk and Suffolk, England landscapes. On July 2, 2008, the Chrysler Museum will introduce visitors to a collection of Emerson’s photographic masterpieces of early technique and artistry in the new exhibition, The Old Order and the New: P.H. Emerson and Photography, 1885-1895.

Peter Henry Emerson British (1856–1936) Gathering Water-Lilies, Plate IX from Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads, 1886 Royal Photographic Society Collection at the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK

 

The exhibition features some of Emerson’s most well-known images—portraits of landscapes in transition as rural life became subject to a new order of things through industrialization and tourism. They represent the continual shift and antagonism between values and ideas and convey the rich flavor of Emerson’s time. This collection demonstrates his undeniable talent and strong belief that a photograph should only reflect what the human eye can see in lieu of using studio props or faking compositions in the darkroom. Viewers can easily make comparisons with contemporary life and culture through the world that Emerson displays in his photos—many of them raw, exhibiting dark tones of the platinum and gravure processes that are representative of his signature style.

Despite his success and respected reputation among other photographers during the late 1800s, Emerson spent much of his life trying to fit into mainstream society. He was born in Cuba to a British mother and American father, and enjoyed most of his early childhood in New England during the turbulent years of the American Civil War. After his father’s death in 1869, Emerson and his mother moved to England where he later graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in medicine. Just one year after practicing medicine, Emerson abandoned his career as a surgeon and fully devoted himself to writing and photography.

Peter Henry Emerson British (1856–1936) The Lonely Fisher, Plate XV from Marsh Leaves, 1895 Royal Photographic Society Collection at the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK

 

Emerson not only preferred simplicity when it came to his lifestyle, but he also chose to produce photographs that were more naturalistic and unrefined. He believed that photographers had to be as free as fine artists to alter or create scenes as long as they stayed true to the medium of photography. For Emerson, this meant that most of the work of composing must happen before taking the picture. He was no fan of faking things in the darkroom. According to Emerson, this broke the first contract of photography with the world: a one-to-one equivalent to whatever had existed in front of the camera.

Between 1886 and 1895, Emerson published eight photographic portfolios. Though he continued to photograph, he did not exhibit or publish his work after 1900. He was preparing a history of pictorial photography when he died in Falmouth, England in 1936.

Peter Henry Emerson British (1856–1936) Lone Lagoon, Plate II from Marsh Leaves, 1895 Royal Photographic Society Collection at the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK

 

This exhibition will be open until November 16, 2008.

The Old Order and the New: P.H. Emerson and Photography, 1885-1895 was organized by the National Media Museum in Bradford, England and printed in collaboration with the Norfolk Sister Cities Program.

Peter Henry Emerson British (1856–1936) Thomas Frederick Goodall British  (1857–1944) The Old Order and The New, Plate XII from Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads, 1886 Royal Photographic Society Collection at the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK

 

Members of the media in need of high-resolution images of the exhibition may contact the Office of Communications at 757.333.6295 or communications@chrysler.org for more information.