William Henry Fox Talbot

(British, 1800–1877)

William Henry Fox Talbot was one of the early inventors of photography. At the same time Louis Daguerre developed daguerreotypes in Paris, Talbot had begun producing calotypes, which employed a solution of sodium to fix photosensitive paper after its exposure to light. “How charming it would be if it were possible to cause these natural images to imprint themselves durably, and remain fixed upon the paper,” he once mused. Born on February 11, 1800 in Dorset, United Kingdom, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge and was a scholar in a number of fields including chemistry, Egyptology, art history, and botany. The notion of a photograph dawned on Talbot in 1833 while he was using a camera lucida as an aid in drawing the Italian countryside near Lake Como. Dissatisfied with his inability capture the beauty of the refracted image he saw, the artist began experimenting with chemical solutions to fix images on paper coated with silver nitrate. In the earliest of these attempts, he successfully captured exact silhouettes of botanical specimens through suspending them in glass above the paper and exposing them to the sun. In the decades that followed, Talbot continued his attempts at creating permanent images up until his death on September 17, 1877 in Lacock, United Kingdom. Though many of his calotypes remain fugitive or have deteriorated in condition, Talbot’s contribution to the future of the medium is a singular accomplishment. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among others.

William Henry Fox Talbot News

Sotheby's Will Auction a Hoard of the World's Earliest Photographs, Taken by 19th-Century Inventor Henry Fox Talbot—See Images Here

by Sarah Cascone

Sotheby's Will Auction a Hoard of the World's Earliest Photographs, Taken by 19th-Century Inventor Henry Fox Talbot—See Images Here

The Victoria & Albert Museum Reveals Details of New Photography Center

by Amah-Rose Abrams

The Victoria & Albert Museum Reveals Details of New Photography Center

Bradford Museum Director Defends Plans to Move Photography Collection to London's V&A

by Lorena Muñoz-Alonso

Bradford Museum Director Defends Plans to Move Photography Collection to London's V&A

William Henry Fox Talbot Artworks

William Henry Fox Talbot (310 results)

Sir Walter Scott's Tomb, in Dryburgh Abbey, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Sir Walter Scott's Tomb, in Dryburgh Abbey, 1844

Sale Date: February 15, 2024

Auction Closed

A Mountain Rivulet which flows at the foot of...

William Henry Fox Talbot

A Mountain Rivulet which flows at the foot of...

Sale Date: December 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Nelson's Column under Construction, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Nelson's Column under Construction, 1844

Sale Date: December 6, 2023

Auction Closed

A Fruit Piece, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

A Fruit Piece, 1844

Sale Date: December 6, 2023

Auction Closed

A Mountain Rivulet which flows at the foot of...

William Henry Fox Talbot

A Mountain Rivulet which flows at the foot of...

Sale Date: June 21, 2023

Auction Closed

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge., 1842

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge., 1842

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

STUDY OF A MARBLE BUST

William Henry Fox Talbot

STUDY OF A MARBLE BUST

Sale Date: November 25, 2022

Auction Closed

PHOTOGENIC DRAWINGS OF FERNS c.1847 - 1852, 1840

School of William Henry Fox Talbot

PHOTOGENIC DRAWINGS OF FERNS c.1847 - 1852, 1840

Sale Date: November 25, 2022

Auction Closed

STUDY OF A MARBLE BUST, c.1840s, Salt..., 1840–1849

William Henry Fox Talbot

STUDY OF A MARBLE BUST, c.1840s, Salt..., 1840–1849

Sale Date: May 24, 2022

Auction Closed

The Three Graces, 1840s, 1840–1849

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Three Graces, 1840s, 1840–1849

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

PHOTOGRAPHY - FOX TALBOT, TALBOT (WILLIAM..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

PHOTOGRAPHY - FOX TALBOT, TALBOT (WILLIAM..., 1845

Sale Date: March 23, 2022

Auction Closed

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge, London * A , 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge, London * A , 1845

Sale Date: October 21, 2021

Auction Closed

A Fruit Piece, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

A Fruit Piece, 1845

Sale Date: September 28, 2021

Auction Closed

VIEW AT PLYMOUTH, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

VIEW AT PLYMOUTH, 1845

Sale Date: May 28, 2021

Auction Closed

William Henry Fox Talbot’s Gifts to his , 1820–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

William Henry Fox Talbot’s Gifts to his , 1820–1845

Sale Date: April 21, 2021

Auction Closed

Elm Tree, Lacock Abbey, 1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Elm Tree, Lacock Abbey, 1843

Sale Date: December 21, 2020

Auction Closed

Lacock Abbey, 1842

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lacock Abbey, 1842

Sale Date: November 10, 2020

Auction Closed

Melrose Abbey, Scotland, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Melrose Abbey, Scotland, 1844

Sale Date: November 10, 2020

Auction Closed

Bust of Patroclus, 1842

William Henry Fox Talbot

Bust of Patroclus, 1842

Sale Date: November 10, 2020

Auction Closed

Attributed to William Henry Fox Talbot

PORTRAIT OF A MAN IN PROFILE, 1841

Sale Date: April 3, 2020

Auction Closed

Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, 1844

Sale Date: November 27, 2019

Auction Closed

A MOUNTAIN RIVULET WHICH FLOWS AT THE FOOT..., 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

A MOUNTAIN RIVULET WHICH FLOWS AT THE FOOT..., 1844

Sale Date: October 3, 2019

Auction Closed

THE WOODCUTTERS, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

THE WOODCUTTERS, 1845

Sale Date: October 3, 2019

Auction Closed

A Fruit Piece; The Haystack (2 works), 1844–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

A Fruit Piece; The Haystack (2 works), 1844–1845

Sale Date: June 5, 2019

Auction Closed

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.