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

Auctions

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
Art World

The Victoria & Albert Museum Reveals Details of New Photography Center

by Amah-Rose Abrams
The Victoria & Albert Museum Reveals Details of New Photography Center
Art World

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

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

William Henry Fox Talbot (310 results)
High Street, Oxford, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

High Street, Oxford, 1845

Sale Date: May 23, 2015

Auction Closed

MELROSE ABBEY, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

MELROSE ABBEY, 1845

Sale Date: May 12, 2015

Auction Closed

Selected images, 1843–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Selected images, 1843–1845

Sale Date: April 1, 2015

Auction Closed

The Half Moon, 1864, 1864

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Half Moon, 1864, 1864

Sale Date: March 31, 2015

Auction Closed

A Barouche Parked in the North Courtyard of..., 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

A Barouche Parked in the North Courtyard of..., 1844

Sale Date: March 31, 2015

Auction Closed

The Ladder, 1845, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Ladder, 1845, 1845

Sale Date: March 5, 2015

Auction Closed

Articles of Glassware, 1844, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Articles of Glassware, 1844, 1844

Sale Date: March 5, 2015

Auction Closed

The Fruit Sellers, Lacock Abbey, ca.1845, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Fruit Sellers, Lacock Abbey, ca.1845, 1845

Sale Date: March 5, 2015

Auction Closed

Torn and folded scrap of crape, 1852–1857

William Henry Fox Talbot

Torn and folded scrap of crape, 1852–1857

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Elm tree at Lacock (Winter), 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Elm tree at Lacock (Winter), 1845

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Bust of Patroclus from The Pencil of Nature, 1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Bust of Patroclus from The Pencil of Nature, 1843

Sale Date: December 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Select group of 13 scarce plates from..., 1844–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

Select group of 13 scarce plates from..., 1844–1846

Sale Date: February 27, 2014

Auction Closed

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge, 1842

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge, 1842

Sale Date: December 15, 2013

Auction Closed

Windows of Abbey, 1841

William Henry Fox Talbot

Windows of Abbey, 1841

Sale Date: December 15, 2013

Auction Closed

The Ladder, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Ladder, 1845

Sale Date: December 12, 2013

Auction Closed

High Street, Oxford, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

High Street, Oxford, 1845

Sale Date: November 15, 2013

Auction Closed

York, 1845–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

York, 1845–1846

Sale Date: June 5, 2013

Auction Closed

Lace fragment, 1839–1840

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lace fragment, 1839–1840

Sale Date: June 5, 2013

Auction Closed

The fruit sellers, 1842–1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

The fruit sellers, 1842–1844

Sale Date: May 29, 2013

Auction Closed

Loch Katrine, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Loch Katrine, 1844

Sale Date: April 17, 2013

Auction Closed

A stanza from Ode to Napoleon in Lord..., 1840

William Henry Fox Talbot

A stanza from Ode to Napoleon in Lord..., 1840

Sale Date: December 12, 2012

Auction Closed

Oak Tree in Winter, 1842–1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Oak Tree in Winter, 1842–1843

Sale Date: October 5, 2012

Auction Closed

The Cloisters of Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire,..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Cloisters of Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire,..., 1845

Sale Date: June 22, 2012

Auction Closed

Bust of Patroclus (The Pencil of Nature), 1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Bust of Patroclus (The Pencil of Nature), 1843

Sale Date: May 21, 2012

Auction Closed

English (US)

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