Smelting on the River Blythe in Suffolk

From 1850, scenes of fishing and fishermen were a popular genre in painting, which for example explains the success of the Hague School. For photographers it was difficult with the technical means then at their disposal to successfully capture sharp contrasts, backlighting, and the glittering on the water. Emerson here managed not to reduce the fishermen to mere black silhouettes, but rather portray them in subtle shades
of grey.

Peter Henry Emerson (8 April 1856 – 29 January 1936) was a British photographer, writer, and naturalist known for his photographs of the people and landscapes of East Anglia, England. He is also known for his book "Naturalistic Photography for Students of the Art," published in 1889, which was a major influence on the development of the "naturalistic" or "pictorial" style of photography.

Emerson believed that photography should be used to capture the beauty of the natural world and the way people lived in it and focused on capturing candid and spontaneous moments. His photographs were characterized by their naturalness, simplicity, and use of light and shadow to create mood and atmosphere.