Evening Calm

Harbors, wharves, Marine: Rowboats, sailboats

Dimensions

Image Dimensions: 15.9 x 22.0 cm: February: Heft 3 Plate 8

Although it is unclear as to who may have printed this hand-pulled photogravure, there is a publishing attribution of “Verlag von Wilhelm Knapp in Halle a/S” in margin of upper right corner of plate-the first instance of this attribution in the run of Photographische Rundschau.

Several years after this Job photograph was published in this journal, London’s Photographic News reproduced this plate as a halftone with additional commentary by Charles Job on why it was a favorite picture:

“Mr. Job is a member of the Linked Ring, but started photography in the wet-plate days, and has studied both the artistic and technical sides of photography very thoroughly. The result of this sound training is obvious in his work. Writing in reference to ” Evening Calm,” Mr. Job says :—
I DO not think this is generally considered my best picture, but I consider it so for the following reasons :—Simplicity of composition, a luminous atmosphere and a feeling of restfulness about it which the title I have given it carries out; it is also the only picture I have made with which I am still satisfied; it seems still to give me a real impression of the original picture as I saw it in nature.
The original picture, ¼-plate, was taken at Southwick, near Brighton, fifteen years ago. On printing, however, it did not fulfil my expectations, the size being too small to give due effect to the luminous quality of the picture. I accordingly put it by, and some years later, when I started making enlarged negatives, I was able to make a very successful enlargement from it, from which this picture is a print.” 1.

Charles Job

1. My Best Picture and Why I Think So: in: The Photographic News-For Amateur Photographers: Edited by F.J. Mortimer, F.R.P.S.: London: Published by the Proprietors: March 22, 1907: p. 232