Penlee House is showcasing Harry Paul: Through the Lens and Face to Face: Portraits from Penlee’s Collection until April 16, 2026.
The exhibition explores the differences and similarities between photography and traditional portraiture, questioning how each medium captures personalities and moments in time.
The Face to Face exhibition includes works from various artists.
It features named and unnamed portraits.
A portrait by Leonard Fuller of a young woman, entitled The Silver Jacket, is one of the newer additions.
Penlee House in Penzance is hosting Harry Paul: Through the Lens and Face to Face: Portraits exhibitions. (Image: supplied)
It is described as fresh as if it were done yesterday rather than in 1930.
Works by Opie, Ruth Simpson, and Walter Langley, among others, also feature.
Through the Lens showcases black and white photos by Harry Paul from between 1914 and 1957, providing photographic insight into the social history of the era.
The exhibition also displays some of the equipment used by photographers of the time.
Visitors to Penlee House have been exclaiming as they found images of people they knew.
Paul’s spontaneous photography contrasts with the posed nature of painted portraits.
A 1950s photograph of Philip Paynter of St Ives mending nets provides a marked difference from Ralph Todd’s more formal, probably 1920s, painting.
Fred Millard’s 1885 painting of a finely observed woman threading a needle is titled The thread of life runs smooth as yet.
The exhibition subtly raises the topic of photography as art, highlighting its ability to capture moments of interaction and emotion.
Overall, the exhibitions invite visitors to reflect on the diverse methods of capturing human experiences, as they delve into the rich tapestry of social and cultural history displayed on the museum’s walls.