Silver Tongued

Multidisciplinary artist Paul Elter will be returning to Prince Edward County for his inaugural book launch in November 2025 for two days only. He will be giving a presentation covering the details of how the wetplate images were crafted, tell stories and read passages from this work of art and community.

Paul’s limited-edition, 300-page work, Silver Tongued, blends luminous wetplate photography, confessional storytelling, original poetry, and fine art bookmaking—an exceptional exploration of art and human connection. Many of the 101 portraits in the book were made right here in the County during the summer 0f 2023.

The book grew out of Elter’s residency at the Al & Eurithe Purdy A-frame in Prince Edward County, Ontario, where he captured intimate wetplate portraits and stories of people from all walks of life. The medium requires intricate setups, long exposures, and delicate chemistry. Crisscrossing the county in his mobile darkroom, meeting people, listening to stories, and making images—this was slow photography. Shaped with only available outdoor light, using a vintage 8×10” view camera, these images were individually poured and sensitized on the spot – therefore, greatly influenced by fluctuations in the environmental conditions of the day. The end result is a deeply collaborative work of art—combining the chemistry of light, silver, the environment, and conversation. Each image and narrative unfolds slowly, revealing moments of extraordinary trust, presence, and vulnerability.

The first book launch event takes place Saturday, November 15th, 2025 from 1-4 PM at the Wellington Public Library, 261 Main Street, Wellington in the downstairs meeting room.

There will also be a book launch event on Sunday, November 16th, 2025 from 1-4 PM at the Ameliasburgh Museum in the Old Methodist Church, 517 County Road 19.

A hardbound limited edition of 200 copies, crafted with black leatherette, silver foil debossing, marbled endpapers, and a silvered marking ribbon—the book is a work of art with 101 portraits and 56 stories, blending fiction and nonfiction, with over 60 original wetplate images, and 12 poems in the collection, The Ameliasburgh Variations.

About Paul Elter:

Paul Elter is an accomplished multidisciplinary artist—painter, sculptor, animator, collagist, and photographer. With his custom-modified step van that serves as both oversized camera and mobile darkroom/studio, he has journeyed across the Canadian countryside and to the edge of the Arctic Circle, capturing images of people and place. His published writings on the history and techniques of wetplate photography reflect a deep engagement with both art and language. His work explores the handmade and the analogue—place and time. He has also written extensively on historic photographic processes and has been peer-reviewed in scientific journals. Silver Tongued is Elter’s third book project. His artwork and links to publications can be viewed online at www.elter.ca. He lives and works in Chelsea, Quebec.