Artwork Page for Dawn and Sunset

Details / Information for Dawn and Sunset

Dawn and Sunset

1885

Henry Peach Robinson

(British, 1830–1901)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
albumen print from three negatives
Measurements
Image: 54.5 x 78 cm (21 7/16 x 30 11/16 in.); Mounted: 61 x 85.8 cm (24 x 33 3/4 in.); Matted: 76.2 x 101.6 cm (30 x 40 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1998.107
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Henry Peach Robinson was a pioneer in the "combination printing" technique, employing a number of negatives to make one photographic print. Keenly interested in portraying picturesque narrative scenes and landscapes, he carefully staged elaborate tableaux, often relying on relatives to serve as models. In Dawn and Sunset he presented a symbolic portrayal of three generations, from infancy to old age. By using the combination method, he was able to exercise greater control over his subjects' poses, gestures, and expressions than would have been possible with a single exposure. The smaller, platinum print version provides an instructive example of how an artist's vision can change when a different process is used to print the same negative. The platinum process provided a warmer, more subtle tonal range than the albumen process. The larger, albumen print appears almost journalistic in its use of harsh, even lighting, whereas in the platinum print Robinson was able to hide many details in dark shadow. This created a sense of unity that is missing in the larger image.
A horizontally oriented albumen print in warm brown tones depicts a domestic interior. On the left, a woman with light skin tone sits by a window, looking down at a baby. On the right, an older man with white hair and light skin tone sits hunched forward, facing our right. A washbasin on a stool sits between them. A fireplace spans the background, and a cradle occupies the lower left corner.

Dawn and Sunset

1885

Henry Peach Robinson

(British, 1830–1901)
England, 19th century

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