The Photography Files

Happy Thursday! This week's photography file features William Henry Fox Talbot (I know, quite a mouthful!). This man was actually known by several variations of his name: William Fox Talbot, Henry F. Talbot, H.F. Talbot, H. Fox Talbot... For my purposes I think I'll call him Hank, since he preferred to be known by his second name, Henry (according to Wikipedia, at least).

So, why is Hank so special? Well, he was not the first person to ever take a photograph, but he invented the negative/positive photographic process. And all because he couldn't draw (neither can I, in fact). At around the same time as the Daguerreotype was invented and announced, Hank refined his process - the result was the calotype.

In addition to being one of the fathers of the technique of photography, Hank also contributed to the growth of photography as an art form. His work is also important as a documentation of the world during that time period

Without further ado, here are some examples of work by William Henry Fox Talbot.

Solar Photo-Micrograph, Transverse Section Stem (1839)

(I love how graphic this image is - almost pop art)

Pantheon (1843)


The Open Door (1844)