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Peter Henry Emerson: Great Yarmouth exhibition celebrates photographer

Peter Henry Emerson Image by Peter Henry EmersonPeter Henry Emerson
Peter Henry Emerson is considered a pioneer of modern photography

An exhibition celebrating the pioneering work of a 19th Century photographer is taking place across a seaside town.

Peter Henry Emerson championed a naturalistic approach to photography and captured images around Great Yarmouth.

His work can now be seen in various locations across the town as art installations.

Exhibition organiser Mark Cator said: "The festival provides a direct experience of Emerson's rarely seen photographs presenting them at a scale the artist originally intended.

"We are incredibly proud to be bringing to life such an important part of Great Yarmouth's heritage."

Peter Henry Emerson Image by Peter Henry EmersonPeter Henry Emerson
Emerson took photographs of those who worked on the rivers and broads of Suffolk and Norfolk

Emerson believed photography was an independent artform, but his views were dismissed by traditional artists.

He was born in Cuba in 1856 and moved to England as a teenager.

Between 1885 and 1895 he captured images around Great Yarmouth and the Norfolk Broads.

Peter Henry Emerson Image by Peter Henry EmersonPeter Henry Emerson
He aimed to preserve the old ways of country life by using new photographic methods and promoted a style of photography that looked realistic

He died in 1936 and was little known until the publication of Nancy Newhall's book P.H. Emerson: The Fight for Photography as a Fine Art in 1975.

After that, he was considered to have played a key role in the development of modern photography.

Peter Henry Emerson Image by Peter Henry EmersonPeter Henry Emerson
Emerson believed pictures must be made in camera, that is without further modification in the darkroom

From Saturday, his work will be on display at: St George's Theatre, Primeyarc Gallery, Skippings Gallery, The Yare Gallery, Time and Tide Museum and The Utter Nonsense Studios.

Image on sea wall
An image is on display on Great Yarmouth's sea wall
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