Walter de la Mare
10 of 64 portraits of Walter de la Mare
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Walter de la Mare
by Hector Ernest Murchison
gum bichromate print, 1912
9 3/4 in. x 7 5/8 in. 249 mm x 193 mm
Given by M.K. Clowes, 1954
Photographs Collection
NPG x13379
Artistback to top
- Hector Ernest Murchison (1864-1934), Photographer. Artist or producer of 6 portraits.
This portraitback to top
The poet and writer de la Mare is shown here partially dematerialised, as if a character in one of the ghost stories for which he was already well known. The print was made using a mixture of gum Arabic, potassium dichromate (often called bichromate, a hardening agent), and pigment applied to paper. This mixture hardens when exposed to light under a negative. However, because the gum remains soluble, the process allows the artist to work into the surface until it is dried. In this case, the results resemble a charcoal drawing more than a traditional photograph.
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- A Century of Photography, 1840-1940 (17 October 2016 - 29 October 2017)
Events of 1912back to top
Current affairs
The Royal Flying Corps is established. During the Great War, planes and balloons were used mainly for reconnaissance and observation before technological advances made them fast enough and manoeuvrable enough to attack enemy positions and fight in the air. Arthur (Bomber) Harris won distinction as a pilot destroying five enemy aircraft in the war. In the Second World War he became Marshal of the Royal Air Force.Art and science
George Bernard Shaw writes Pygmalion.Charles Babbage's invents the Analytic Machine. Considered to be the forerunner to the modern computer, the machine was able to make automatic mathematical calculations.
International
Scott leads the British Expedition to the South Pole reaching it in January 1912 only to discover that the rival Norwegian party had beaten them by a month. All members of Scott's team perished on the return journey. Captain Oates' famous last words were immortalised in Scott's diary: 'I am just going outside and may be some time.'The 'unsinkable' Titanic strikes an iceberg and goes down on its maiden journey between Southampton and New York.
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.