Rauhfrost

Ice, Landscape, Forest, Landscape, Winter

Dimensions

Image Dimensions: 18.7 x 24.0 cm : Japan paper
Support Dimensions: 48.1 x 35.5 cm

Title: Hoarfrost

Berlin native Paul Lange was the President of the Liverpool Amateur Photographic Association at the time this photograph was taken.

Original comment on this plate from the Vienna Camera Club journal:

Blatt X:  „Rauhfrost” von Paul Lange. Ein Bild ganz ähnlich jenem, das unsern Lesern aus der Beilage des April-Heftes 1890 bekannt ist und von demselben Autor stammt. Es ist nichts anderes als Strauchwerk, an dem jedes Aestchen mit einer Reifkruste überzogen ist. Eine Fülle von lichten Halbtönen, die so herauszubringen gewiss beim Entwickeln einige Schwierigkeit bieten dürfte, verleihen dem Bilde grossen Reiz.” 1.

1. Photographische Rundschau: Centralblatt fur Amateurphotographie: Edited by Charles Scolik: Volume IV: December, 1891: Published by Verlag Wilhelm Knapp: Halle a. S.: p. 439

Original copy for this entry posted to Facebook on November 9, 2011:

I’ve come to discover that scenics depicting hoarfrost during the winter months were popular studies for certain artistic photographers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries willing to buck popular wisdom for the time. This often included the mindset that cameras were to be put away in storage for the winter because of the technical and chemical problems encountered during cold weather. Fortunately we had photographers like Englishman Paul Lange back then who didn’t see problems, only the potential of beauty.