# Smelting on the River Blythe in Suffolk

- By: Peter Henry Emerson (Cuba, 1856–1936)
- Date: 1883 - 1888
- Medium: tracing paper, paper
- Classification: photomechanical print
- Dimensions: height 263 mm x width 340 mm
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/RP-F-F80253--9d15b3f342c1ed9e5b623f6336fc74e2)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/LCnfs/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

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.