Aztecs, Ice Skating, & Miss Mitford’s Dog

29 Apr 2016: Nicolaas Henneman, Zulu in Leopard Costume, summer 1853 We have already talked a bit about Nicolaas Henneman’s role as Talbot’s most trusted assistant and the fact that he believed so passionately in photography so as to leave Talbot’s employ for service to the new art. By the early 1850s, facing competition and no longer one …

George Montgomerie – the Melancholy Artist

22 Apr 2016: Viewed from the River Avon, Lacock Abbey is instantly recognizable from the Rev George Montgomerie’s detailed 1832 pencil drawing. Montgomerie was a close friend of all the Talbot family but particularly so of Lady Elisabeth and this is one of dozens of his drawings and watercolours contained in a number of the Talbot family’s albums. …

An Elegantly Set Table

15 Apr 2016: About a month ago in connection with Henry in Bronze & Stone, I made an appeal for other examples of surviving monuments. One of the more surprising came out of Lisbon, the façade of the atelier of Luis Pavão. Luis Pavão is a versatile photographer, conservator, and operator of workshops. When he was putting a …

Tombstones & Sunlight – Henneman at Kensal Green

8 Apr 2016: Nicolaas Henneman (1813-1898), Dutch-born and Parisian-trained, had a complicated but mutually beneficial relationship with Henry Talbot. As his valet during the early years of photography, Henneman was both a willing subject for his master’s camera and an active participant in research and production. On 21 April 1842, as he had done so often before, he …

Ferns by Moonlight & Chromium Leaves – April Fool’s Week, 1841

1 Apr 2016: Publishing on April Fools Day is always risky business. Personally lacking a sense of humour, of course I wouldn’t dream of winding you up on a day like this. The following is not a joke. Really. Trust me. April Fools Day fell on a Thursday in 1841. The day before, Lady Elisabeth and Henry returned …