19thC; Jones Calvert, Man seated in doorway. Possibly Calvert Jones's gardener, David Rodderick.

A man in working clothes, boots and straw hat sits across the full width of a doorway. His well defined hands rest informally on his right corduroy clad leg. The sun intensifies the draped folds of his shirt sleeve. The photograph is dominated by a strong diagonal division between light and dark, the tones have remained strong and the shadow has retained its deep purple brown. There is a small amount of shading to the right edge.

During the 1830s William Henry Fox Talbot invented a way of making paper negatives and from them multiple paper prints. In doing so, he laid the foundations of modern photography. Calvert Jones learned of these developments in 1839 through a neighbour who was a cousin of Talbot. Jones lived in South Wales and he made many photographs there and in the West of England. He also travelled widely, making photographs on the continent. Jones' work stands out in the early development of photography because he was one of the first to apply a schooled artist's eye to the medium.

This portrait is composed as a diagonal pattern between light and dark. The deeptones of the interior of the building contrasts with the sculptural form of the sunlit figure. The folds of drapery, the surface textures of the corderoy and leather and the shadow of leaves against the doorpost set off the well defined fingers and strong profile of the man. Jones' pencil and wash figure studies also drew attention to shadow and drapery.

The man is believed to be David Roderick, Calvert Jones' gardener. If this is so, the location is likely at the family home, Heathfield, South Wales..

PH.34-1983