|
|
William Henry Fox Talbot(1800-1877) pioneered a process that formed the basis for both photography and photographic printing plates. In 1833, he began a series of experiments with paper treated with silver compounds, chosen because he knew silver nitrate was sensitive to light. In his early explorations he worked with different solutions until he had what he wanted. He then held a piece of lace or a leaf tight against the paper with a pane of glass and slowly exposed it in sunlight, the paper around the object slowly darkened. After fixing the image to a plate(using chemicals), he had created a photogenic drawing.
- A Photogenic Drawing Of A Leaf
Talbot later went on to invent the reverse picture(or negative) of an image that was recorded on light sensitive paper. He achieved this by contact printing his reverse image to another sheet of sensitized paper in sunlight. With recognition of Talbot's process, it was called photography.
- Talbot's First Print From A Photographic NegativeIn 1844, Talbot placed together a book which he titled The Pencil Of Nature. This became the first book to be illustrated entirely with photographs and had original prints mounted onto the printed page. The book's original design was done in an early Victorian-style.
- Cover Of Talbot's Book The Pencil Of Nature
Click on the below image to see an enlarged image of an example photograph that appeared in A Pencil Of Nature. The name of the piece is entitled "The Open Door," and dates back from 1843. It is a salted paper print from a calotype negative.
