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)
Reverend Calvert Jones in the Cloisters , 1845–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Reverend Calvert Jones in the Cloisters , 1845–1845

Sale Date: April 6, 2000

Auction Closed

York Minster, 1845–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

York Minster, 1845–1845

Sale Date: April 5, 2000

Auction Closed

Lacock Abbey, 1843–1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lacock Abbey, 1843–1843

Sale Date: December 14, 1999

Auction Closed

Sun pictures in Scotland

William Henry Fox Talbot

Sun pictures in Scotland

Sale Date: October 27, 1999

Auction Closed

Queens College, Oxford, entrance gateway, 1844–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

Queens College, Oxford, entrance gateway, 1844–1846

Sale Date: October 6, 1999

Auction Closed

The ladder , 1840–1849

William Henry Fox Talbot

The ladder , 1840–1849

Sale Date: October 6, 1999

Auction Closed

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge, 1845–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Hungerford Suspension Bridge, 1845–1845

Sale Date: October 6, 1999

Auction Closed

The Lacock Abbey Cloister, 1845–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

The Lacock Abbey Cloister, 1845–1845

Sale Date: October 5, 1999

Auction Closed

Construction of Nelson's column,..., 1843–1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Construction of Nelson's column,..., 1843–1843

Sale Date: October 5, 1999

Auction Closed

Loch Katrine, 1844–1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Loch Katrine, 1844–1844

Sale Date: June 9, 1999

Auction Closed

Effigy of Sir Walter Scott's favourite..., 1845–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Effigy of Sir Walter Scott's favourite..., 1845–1845

Sale Date: May 7, 1999

Auction Closed

Record of the death-bed of C.M.W., 1844–1844

William Henry Fox Talbot

Record of the death-bed of C.M.W., 1844–1844

Sale Date: May 6, 1999

Auction Closed

Loch Katrine, Scotland, 1855–1855

William Henry Fox Talbot

Loch Katrine, Scotland, 1855–1855

Sale Date: April 28, 1999

Auction Closed

Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, pl.XV, 1844–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, pl.XV, 1844–1846

Sale Date: December 2, 1998

Auction Closed

Copy of an engraving, 1841–1841

William Henry Fox Talbot

Copy of an engraving, 1841–1841

Sale Date: October 7, 1998

Auction Closed

Trafalgar Square under construction,..., 1840–1849

William Henry Fox Talbot

Trafalgar Square under construction,..., 1840–1849

Sale Date: October 6, 1998

Auction Closed

Cloisters of Lacock Abbey, 1841–1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Cloisters of Lacock Abbey, 1841–1843

Sale Date: May 8, 1998

Auction Closed

Lincoln's Inn, New Hall Library, London, 1845–1845

William Henry Fox Talbot

Lincoln's Inn, New Hall Library, London, 1845–1845

Sale Date: May 7, 1998

Auction Closed

Group of Talbot's daughters and an..., 1843–1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

Group of Talbot's daughters and an..., 1843–1843

Sale Date: May 7, 1998

Auction Closed

The art union monthly journal of the..., 1846–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

The art union monthly journal of the..., 1846–1846

Sale Date: May 7, 1998

Auction Closed

Nicholas Henneman, 1846–1846

William Henry Fox Talbot

Nicholas Henneman, 1846–1846

Sale Date: November 19, 1997

Auction Closed

Dovecote at Lacock Abbey, 1839–1839

William Henry Fox Talbot

Dovecote at Lacock Abbey, 1839–1839

Sale Date: October 9, 1997

Auction Closed

The boulevard, Paris, 1843–1843

William Henry Fox Talbot

The boulevard, Paris, 1843–1843

Sale Date: October 8, 1997

Auction Closed

Magdalen College, Oxford, 1840–1849

William Henry Fox Talbot

Magdalen College, Oxford, 1840–1849

Sale Date: October 8, 1997

Auction Closed

English (US)

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