Musings from the Margins: Aphnodium from Gogar

26 Feb 2016: To people in 1839, photography must have seemed so mysterious and magical that it bordered on science fiction (but rest assured, both Aphnodium and Gogar were real, as we will see). To Henry Talbot, his new art was a marvelous fusion of hard science and the lyrical hand of Nature. Sometimes one seems to learn …

A Little Bit of Magic Realised: Talbot Explains Photogenic Drawing

19 Feb 2016: Common table salt – sodium chloride. Even though some exotic variants are revered by foodies and all forms of it are roundly denounced by certain health enthusiasts, it is such an ordinary and necessary part of our lives that we rarely give it a second thought. Yet it was a key ingredient in Talbot’s photographic …

Happy Birthday Henry !

12 Feb 2016: Yesterday, in 1800, William Henry Fox Talbot was born in his uncle’s home of Melbury, in Dorsetshire (as it was then known, Dorset to post-Edwardian types). Happy Birthday Henry! May we offer you some of your own flowers in celebration, perhaps from Lacock Abbey’s garden, perhaps from its hothouse. But first, no tribute to Talbot …

‘On the Art of Fixing a Shadow’ – Talbot’s first publication on photography

5 Feb 2016: If your calendar pages start with Sundays, this week began with Henry Talbot’s first paper on photography being read to the Royal Society on 31 January [1839]. Last week we saw some examples of the types of photographs that Talbot exhibited at the Royal Institution on 25 January, the first photographic exhibition in Britain and …

25 January 1839 – ‘Dame Nature has become his drawing mistress’

29 Jan 2016: Earlier this week, on 25 January, Burn’s Night was celebrated worldwide and I trust that everyone sought out their favourite haggis. In all of Talbot’s writings there is no evidence that he ever got a chance to enjoy this Scottish delicacy (but none to the contrary either). The 25th of January has a special significance …

To fix or not to fix? – Sir John Herschel’s question

22 Jan 2016: Not only as the great friend and student of Sir John Herschel, Julia Margaret Cameron is increasingly recognised in her own right as one of the foundational figures in the art of photography. The bicentenary of her birth is being widely celebrated with many shows and lectures. If you can see only one photography exhibition …

London soot, from an angel’s point of view

15 Jan 2016: “The stately edifices of the British Metropolis too frequently assume from the influence of our smoky atmosphere such a swarthy hue as wholly to obliterate the natural appearance of the stone of which they are constructed. This sooty covering destroys all harmony of colour, and leaves only the grandeur of form and proportions. This picture …

Talbot’s 16th c photograph

8 Jan 2016: Although we have such wonderful documentation on many of Talbot’s productions, precisely and reliably dating his photographs can be difficult. I’m often asked to hazard a guess on the most likely date for a particular image. In the case of this panoramic view of the River Thames in London, based solely on the visual evidence, …

Happy New Year from Henry

1 Jan 2016: with good wishes to all & the hope that 2016 will prove to be a fine year for you • Questions or Comments? Please contact digitalsupport@bodleian.ox.ac.uk • WHFT, Trio of Botanical Specimens, photogenic drawing negative, watermarked ‘J Whatman Turkey Mill’, 1839, Talbot Loan Collection, the Bodleian Libraries, Schaaf no 4200. …

Holiday greetings from Henry

25 Dec 2015: Firefoot – the rocking horse at Lacock Abbey may everyone have a wonderfully good time during this holiday season • Questions or Comments? Please contact digitalsupport@bodleian.ox.ac.uk • WHFT, Firefoot – the rocking horse at Lacock Abbey, salt print from a calotype negative, ca. 1843, Fox Talbot Collection, the British Library, London; Schaaf 1613. …

Holiday Treats – Clare Bridge

18 Dec 2015: Out of respect to busy schedules during the holiday season, I’ll try to keep these posts pleasantly brief. A fortnight ago I headed towards the Cambridge University Library in order to renew my reader’s pass. The forbidding exterior of the building belies the delights that awaits one inside. Much of my early research on Sir …