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)

Constance with her daughters, 1840–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Constance with her daughters, 1840–1845

Sale Date: May 2, 1997

Auction Closed

Palais de Justice, Nimes, 1852

William Henry Fox Talbot

Palais de Justice, Nimes, 1852

Sale Date: May 2, 1997

Auction Closed

Palais de Justice, Nimes, 1852

William Henry Fox Talbot

Palais de Justice, Nimes, 1852

Sale Date: May 2, 1997

Auction Closed

Garden study with spires, 1840–1849

Circle of William Henry Fox Talbot

Garden study with spires, 1840–1849

Sale Date: May 2, 1997

Auction Closed

Ela Theresa, Rosamond Constance and Matilda..., 1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

Ela Theresa, Rosamond Constance and Matilda..., 1846

Sale Date: April 30, 1997

Auction Closed

King's College Chapel, Cambridge, 1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

King's College Chapel, Cambridge, 1846

Sale Date: April 30, 1997

Auction Closed

Portal von Lacock Abbey, 1840

William Henry Fox Talbot

Portal von Lacock Abbey, 1840

Sale Date: December 6, 1996

Auction Closed

Articles of China, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Articles of China, 1844

Sale Date: October 2, 1996

Auction Closed

The Pencil of Nature, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Pencil of Nature, 1844

Sale Date: October 2, 1996

Auction Closed

The boulevard, Paris, 1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

The boulevard, Paris, 1843

Sale Date: October 5, 1995

Auction Closed

Scenes connected with the life and writings..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Scenes connected with the life and writings..., 1845

Sale Date: October 5, 1995

Auction Closed

Lacock Abbey, 1840

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lacock Abbey, 1840

Sale Date: May 3, 1995

Auction Closed

Gothic ruin seen through an arch, 1839

William Henry Fox Talbot

Gothic ruin seen through an arch, 1839

Sale Date: May 3, 1995

Auction Closed

The woodcutters, 1841

William Henry Fox Talbot

The woodcutters, 1841

Sale Date: May 3, 1995

Auction Closed

Lace, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Sale Date: May 3, 1995

Auction Closed

Lacock Abbey, the fruit sellers, 1842

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lacock Abbey, the fruit sellers, 1842

Sale Date: April 6, 1995

Auction Closed

The boulevard, Paris, 1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

The boulevard, Paris, 1843

Sale Date: April 5, 1995

Auction Closed

A Fruit Piece, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

A Fruit Piece, 1845

Sale Date: October 19, 1994

Auction Closed

Lacock Abbey, 1842

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lacock Abbey, 1842

Sale Date: October 19, 1994

Auction Closed

Leaf Study, 1839

William Henry Fox Talbot

Leaf Study, 1839

Sale Date: October 19, 1994

Auction Closed

Articles of China, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Articles of China, 1844

Sale Date: October 5, 1994

Auction Closed

Effigy of Sir Walter Scott's Favourite Dog,..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Effigy of Sir Walter Scott's Favourite Dog,..., 1845

Sale Date: October 4, 1994

Auction Closed

MOUNT EDGECUMBE BATTERY, A VIEW TOWARDS..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

MOUNT EDGECUMBE BATTERY, A VIEW TOWARDS..., 1845

Sale Date: May 13, 1994

Auction Closed

YORK STREET WITH MINSTER IN THE BACKGROUND, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

YORK STREET WITH MINSTER IN THE BACKGROUND, 1845

Sale Date: May 13, 1994

Auction Closed

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