CLASSIC BOAT MAGAZINE – BRETT GALLERY LAUNCH

A project to build a collection of important Victorian and Edwardian yachting photographs was launched with the opening of a stunning exhibition in Midhurst, West Sussex.

The new Brett Gallery opened in December with an exhibition of photos by Frank Beken, Alfred John West and Stanley Rosenfeld, dating from the late 1800s to the 1930s.

Each glass plate has been carefully hand-cleaned and the image copied in very high resolution on a state of the art digital flatbed scanner. Once in digital format, any damage to the image through age, scratching or degradation was repaired manually using digital editing and artistic skill, to the extent sometimes of rebuilding the image on a smashed glass plate back to its former glory.

After that, each image was digitally optimised before being printed as a black and white silver gelatin photograph. The images are then framed using 99% UV glass that is non reflective.

The costly and time-consuming work has taken two years to complete and is the brainchild of classic boat enthusiast Paul Brett and his wife Inna. They have sourced the glass plate images from the archive of Beken of Cowes and have tracked down other glass plate negatives via auctions and other achives.

Each photograpgh has been printed larger than ever seen before, with sizes starting at 594mm x 420mm, running to 1,250mm x 2,700mm, with prices starting at £695. Each photograph is a limited edition silver gelatin print, numbering 25 to 50 depending on photograph size.

Paul said: “Over the next few years we hope to build our collection of images to encompass all the Victorian and Edwardian maritime photographers, many who have been lost in time, as well as photographers in the US such as Rosenfeld, Levick and Johnston. It will be the definitive collection of important Victorian and Edwardian glass plate photography, showing evocative images of a bygone era of yachting.”

As well as the exhibition, the gallery will produce 12 books of photographs, each volume containing 50 images. The current exhibition is volume 1.

Additionally, yachting historian Martin Black will write a history of each yacht, including its ownership, race results, Lloyd’s entry details and other relevant information, work that had been started by Classic Boat’s technical editor Theo Rye before he died in November. Paul is also in touch with those boats that are still afloat to bring their stories up to date.

Tel: 01730 601532. facebook.com/thebrettgallery