JF Ptak Science Books   Quick Post

In my long exposure to antiquarian prints I’ve long paid attention to images with a lot of black in the engraving or etching or woodcut–nighttime, caves, underwater, windlowless low-light interiors, and so on.  It is a definite challenge to accomplish these images, as well as a high use of ink–in any event, my eye is set for black details in black images in black prints. And so it came to be that I noticed this very small detail in the backdrop for the photo-copying of this fine panorama below, found at the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress (here). 

It is basically invisible to inspection in the version of the full print, below, but in the 80 mb examples it pops right out. (It certainly occupies less than 1% of the image space, but up-close it takes on a bit of its own life and legacy.) 

The full photograph (45″ long)  shows a boxing match between Wolgast and Rivers at the Vernon Arena in 1912:

I was originally attracted to the photo by the hats, but the black blotch on black won out.  

For a wonderful essay on Black on Black art, see Public Domain review, here.  

• Title: Vernon Arena, Wolgast – Rivers boxing match
• Related Names: 
     Prince, Geo. (George), 1848- , copyright claimant
• Date Created/Published: c1912.
• Medium: 1 photographic print : gelatin silver ; 8 x 45.5 in.