May Moore was a successful studio portrait photographer, and throughout her career photographed a number of prominent figures, including artists, writers and performers of the time. She and her sister Minnie Moore had a reputation for their stylish portraits, often close-up head and shoulder compositions with dramatic, theatre style side lighting reminiscent of portraits by Rembrandt. This lighting technique would illuminate half of the sitter’s face, allowing it to stand out against a dark background. Her portrait of the famous operatic soprano, Dame Nellie Melba exemplifies Moore’s iconic style and was taken towards the end of her career.
2023
Gelatin silver prints are black-and-white photographic prints that have been created using papers coated with an emulsion of gelatin and light-sensitive silver salts. After the papers are briefly exposed to light (usually through a negative), a chemical developer renders the latent image as reduced silver, which is then fixed and washed. This technique was first introduced in the 1870s and is still used today. Most twentieth-century black-and-white photographs are gelatin silver prints. They are known for being highly detailed and sharply defined prints with a distinguishable smooth, even image surface.
