The William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné

Master record for Schaaf no. 2643

Portrait of the lecturer, chemist and photographer, John Frederick Goddard

Attributed to: William Henry Fox Talbot

Created: 8 Apr 1842

There are two letters between Talbot and Goddard.  The first is from Goddard to Talbot and dates from 14 April 1842.  In the letter he tells Talbot of his plans to fit out a room for the making of Calotypes.  Just a few days previously Goddard had visited Lacock Abbey and worked with Talbot and Henneman.  See Larry Schaaf, "Sun Pictures Catalogue 9: William Henry Fox Talbot, Friends and Relations" (New York, Hans P. Kraus Jr. Inc., 1999, pp. 22-29).

The second letter is from Talbot to Goddard and dates from 1 July 1842.  In the letter Talbot thanks Goddard for his support and informs him that he has the negative of a portrait that was taken previously at Lacock Abbey in April 1842 and can make a new print from it.  It may be that the negative Talbot refers to is the one used to make the three known prints attached to this record.  Note the date inscribed on the negative.  The negative is no longer extant, or whereabouts presently not known.  However there are other portraits of Goddard that were taken at the during the same Lacock visit (see SC2639, SC2643 and SC2645).