“Similar to the image The Skirt of the Village that features in the Idyls of the Norfolk Broads portfolio (published in 1887), here Emerson refers to something that cannot be seen. A toad, of which there is no presence in the print, has caught the attention of two children while they are walking. This image also shows Emerson’s predilection for photographing subjects who seem to be unaware of the presence of his camera.” ⎯ V&A Museum, London

“A few notes on the “focus” of the various pictures will perhaps interest the student, as this is just now a vexed question…. “Toad in the Path,” here the same effects of focus may be studied. There is nothing sharp in this plate, not even the principal object, i.e., the boys.”⎯ P.H. Emerson, Sept., 1889, To The Student