This snowy scene was captured during a particularly severe winter in Britain in 1894-95 known as ‘The Great Frost’.
The photographer, Paul Martin (1864-1944) pioneered street and night photography, with some shots requiring exposures of anything between 10 to 20 minutes. His nighttime adventures were “amusing experiences” - passers-by were not used to seeing a man with a camera and he was often stopped by the police.
❄️‘Winter Night on the Embankment’, 1894-95.