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)
Bust of Patroclus, 1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

Bust of Patroclus, 1846

Sale Date: May 16, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1840–1849

William Henry Fox Talbot

Untitled (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1840–1849

Sale Date: April 3, 2012

Auction Closed

The ancient vestry - The Reverend Calvert R. , 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The ancient vestry - The Reverend Calvert R. , 1845

Sale Date: April 3, 2012

Auction Closed

One of the towers of Orleans Cathedral, as..., 1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

One of the towers of Orleans Cathedral, as..., 1843

Sale Date: April 3, 2012

Auction Closed

View through latticed window (View..., 1839–1840

William Henry Fox Talbot

View through latticed window (View..., 1839–1840

Sale Date: April 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Pencil of nature (various sizes; 13..., 1844–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

Pencil of nature (various sizes; 13..., 1844–1846

Sale Date: February 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Articles of China, 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Articles of China, 1844

Sale Date: December 19, 2011

Auction Closed

The woodcutters, Vicole and Pullen sawing..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The woodcutters, Vicole and Pullen sawing..., 1845

Sale Date: November 17, 2011

Auction Closed

Cathédrale d'Orléans, 1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Cathédrale d'Orléans, 1843

Sale Date: November 11, 2011

Auction Closed

Table set for tea, 1841

William Henry Fox Talbot

Table set for tea, 1841

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Loch Katrine, 19-21 October (from Sun..., 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Loch Katrine, 19-21 October (from Sun..., 1844

Sale Date: November 18, 2010

Auction Closed

Sir Walter Scott's favorite dog, Maida (from , 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Sir Walter Scott's favorite dog, Maida (from , 1845

Sale Date: November 18, 2010

Auction Closed

Loch katrine, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Loch katrine, 1845

Sale Date: September 28, 2010

Auction Closed

The seminal pencil of nature (13 works), 1844–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

The seminal pencil of nature (13 works), 1844–1846

Sale Date: December 8, 2009

Auction Closed

Door of Abbotsford, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Door of Abbotsford, 1845

Sale Date: November 20, 2009

Auction Closed

Portrait of Talbot's daughter (Ela?), 1840–1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Portrait of Talbot's daughter (Ela?), 1840–1844

Sale Date: October 22, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled (from Sun pictures in Scotland,..., 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Untitled (from Sun pictures in Scotland,..., 1844

Sale Date: October 22, 2009

Auction Closed

The woodcutters, Nicole & Pullen sawing &..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The woodcutters, Nicole & Pullen sawing &..., 1845

Sale Date: October 22, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled - Lace, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Untitled - Lace, 1845

Sale Date: October 22, 2009

Auction Closed

Loch Katrine, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Loch Katrine, 1845

Sale Date: October 8, 2009

Auction Closed

The ladder, 1840–1849

William Henry Fox Talbot

The ladder, 1840–1849

Sale Date: September 20, 2009

Auction Closed

Sun pictures in Scotland (23 works, Irgr,..., 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Sun pictures in Scotland (23 works, Irgr,..., 1845

Sale Date: October 8, 2009

Auction Closed

The pencil of nature (11 works, folio 4to), 1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

The pencil of nature (11 works, folio 4to), 1844

Sale Date: October 8, 2009

Auction Closed

Loch Katrine, 1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Loch Katrine, 1845

Sale Date: May 19, 2009

Auction Closed

English (US)

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