William Henry Fox Talbot

William Henry Fox Talbot (February 11, 1800 – September 17, 1877) was an early photographer who made major contributions to the photographic process. He is remembered as the holder of a patent which affected the early development of photography in England, and made some important early photographs of York - see "Nathaniel Whittock's bird's-eye view of the City of York in the 1850's" by Hugh Murray. Image File history File links Upturnedcollar2. ... Image File history File links Upturnedcollar2. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // ON MAY 5 1853 MR.FADER HAD SEX WITH A MAN NAME MR WIEN THEN THEY HAD SON NAMEDMRS COTURE AND MR MANOOGIAN WENT INTO MRS HASKELLS OFFICE NAKED AND DANCED AROUND AND MASTERBATED ON HER CHEST AND SHE LICKED IT OFF THEN THEY HAD ORAL SEEX WITH NAPLOEAN OF... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... For the Juanes song, see Fotografía. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a patentee (the inventor or assignee) for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which... Early photography is generally to be reckoned to be pre-1900, and York, England was one of the centres. ... York is a city in North Yorkshire, England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ... Rio de Janeiro birds-eye view. ... // Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution... Hugh C. Murray (1825? – 1857) was the 3rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California. ...

Early life

Talbot was the only child of William Davenport Talbot, of Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire, and of Lady Elizabeth Fox Strangways, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Ilchester. He was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he gained the Person prize in 1820, and graduated as twelfth wrangler in 1821. From 1822 to 1872 he frequently communicated papers to the Royal Society, many of them on mathematical subjects. At an early period he had begun his optical researches, which were to have such important results in connection with photography. To the Edinburgh Journal of Science in 1826 he contributed a paper on "Some Experiments on Colored Flame"; to the Quarterly Journal of Science in 1827 a paper on "Monochromatic Light"; and to the Philosophical Magazine a number of papers on chemical subjects, including one on "Chemical Changes of Colour." Lacock Abbey Lacock Abbey in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, England, was founded in the early 13th century by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as a monastery of the Augustinian order. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... Henry Thomas Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester (10 August 1747-5 September 1802), known as Lord Stavordale from 1756 to 1776, was a British peer and Member of Parliament. ... Harrow School, normally just known as Harrow, is one of the worlds most famous schools. ... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names King’s Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... At the University of Cambridge, a wrangler is a student who has completed the third year (called Part II) of the Mathematical Tripos with first-class honours. ... The coronation banquet for George IV 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The premises of the Royal Society in London (first four properties only). ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Naval Battle of Navarino by Carneray 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Invention of calotype process

Talbot engaged in photographic experiments before Louis Daguerre exhibited in 1839 his pictures taken by the sun. After Daguerre's discovery was announced (without details), Talbot showed his four year old pictures at the Royal Institution on 25 January 1839. Within a fortnight, he freely communicated the technical details of his photogenic drawing process to the Royal Society - Daguerre would not reveal the manipulatory details of his process until August. In 1841 Talbot made known his discovery of the calotype or talbotype process. This process reflected the work of many predecessors, including John Herschel and Joseph Reade. Talbot's original contributions included the concept of a negative from which many positive prints can be made (although the terms negative and positive were coined by Herschel), and the use of gallic acid for developing latent image. For his photographic discoveries, which are detailed in his Pencil of Nature (1844), he received in 1842 the Rumford medal of the Academy of the Royal Society.

Patenting controversy

A picture by William Fox Talbot made in 1853.

In February 1841, Talbot obtained a patent for the calotype process. At first he was selling individual patent licenses for £20 each, but later he lowered the fee to £4 and waived the payment for those who bought photographic materials from him. Professional photographers, however, had to pay up to £300 annually. Talbot's behavior was widely criticized, especially after 1851 when Frederick Scott Archer publicized the collodion process he had invented. Talbot declared that anyone using Archer's process would still be liable to get a license from Talbot for calotype (Archer himself never obtained a patent for collodion). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 739 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (890 × 722 pixel, file size: 194 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: A picture taken by William Fox Talbot in 1853. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 739 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (890 × 722 pixel, file size: 194 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: A picture taken by William Fox Talbot in 1853. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a patentee (the inventor or assignee) for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which... Frederick Scott Archer (1813-1857) invented the photographic collodion process which preceded the modern gelatin emulsion. ... The collodion process is an early photographic process which gave way in the late 19th century to todays gelatin emulsion process. ...

One reason Talbot patented the calotype was that he was aware that Daguerre was developing a photographic process. Talbot had no details, and this was after he had spent many thousands of pounds (then a small fortune) on his process over several years. Talbot at first used sensitized paper in his Pencil of Nature photogrammes (objects placed between a light source and the sensitive paper leaving a shadow image). The image was desensitized by soaking in a bath of sodium thiosulphate. Louis Daguerre Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787 - 1851) was the Basque artist and chemist who is recognized for his invention of the Daguerreotype process of photography. ... The Pencil of Nature, published in six installments between 1844 and 1846, was the first book to be illustrated entirely with photographs and is regarded as an important and influential work in the history of photography. ... Sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate Sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) is a colorless crystalline compound that is more familiar as the pentahydrate, Na2S2O3 · 5H2O, an efflorescent, monoclinic crystalline substance also called sodium hyposulfite or “hypo. ...

The calotype was a refinement of this process where the negative paper direct image was printed onto a sensitized sheet placed underneath. The negative meant that the print could be reproduced as many times as was required. The daguerrotype was a single image process and not reproducible, just as a Polaroid colour photograph where a copy has to be made. On the other hand, the calotype, despite oiling of the negative paper to make the image clearer, still was not pin sharp like the metallic daguerrotype as the paper fibres degraded the image produced. An early daguerreotype, claimed by some to be Abraham Lincoln, although many experts disagree with this claim. ...

The problem was resolved in 1851 when Daguerre died and the wet collodion process enabled glass to be used as a support. With glass support, the negative (refined paper calotype) won the war.

Daguerre also was aware that Talbot was working on a process and brought forward his announcement. To do this he gained the backing of the French Government and was awarded a pension for his troubles. Niepce was never to receive a pension for his part in the development, though his son was eventually given a pension. Nicéphore Niépces earliest surviving photograph, circa 1826 Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (March 7, 1765 – July 5, 1833) was a French inventor, most noted as a pioneer in photography. ...

Daguerre's development costs were paid for by this pension which he would receive for life. His process was released without patent worldwide except for the UK where it was protected to stop Talbot from being first or developing his system against Daguerre. The matter was settled after 1851 when the negative process continued and the Daguerrotype died out by about 1861.

In August 1852, The Times published an open letter by Lord Rosse, the President of the Royal Society, and Charles Lock Eastlake, the president of the Royal Academy, who called on Talbot to relieve his patent pressure that was perceived as stifling the development of photography. In his response, Talbot agreed to waive licensing fees for amateurs, but he continued to pursue professional portrait photographers, having filed several lawsuits. The cost of the license for anyone wishing to make portraits for sale was £100 for the first year and £150 each subsequent year. 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... Lord Rosse William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (June 17, 1800 – October 31, 1867) was an Irish astronomer. ... The premises of the Royal Society in London (first four properties only). ... Born in Plymouth, Devon, Sir Charles Lock Eastlake ( 17 November 1793 – 24 December 1865) was an English painter, gallery director, collector and writer of the early 19th century. ... This article refers to an art institution in London. ...

In 1854 Talbot applied for an extension of the 14-year patent, to be expired in 1855. At that time one of his lawsuits, against a photographer Martin Laroche, was heard by the court. The Talbot v. Laroche case was the pivotal point of the story. Laroche's side argued that the patent was invalid, as a similar process was invented earlier by Joseph Reade, and that using the collodion process does not infringe the calotype patent anyway because of significant differences between the two processes. In the verdict, the jury upheld the calotype patent but agreed that Laroche was not infringing upon it by using the collodion process. Disappointed by the outcome, Talbot chose not to extend his patent. Photography was finally free of ( the first ) patent encumbrance. 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Joseph Bancroft Reade (1801 - 1870) was an English pioneer of photography. ...

Other activities

He was active in politics, being a moderate Reformer who generally supported the Whig Ministers. He served as Member of Parliament for Chippenham between 1832 and 1835 when he retired from Parliament. He also held the office of Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1840. The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid 19th centuries. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Chippenham will be a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The High Sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement position in Anglosphere countries. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Whilst engaged in his scientific researches he devoted much time to archaeology. He published Hermes, or Classical and Antiquarian Researches (1838-39), and Illustrations of the Antiquity of the Book of Genesis (1839). With Sir Henry Rawlinson and Dr Edward Hincks he shares the honour of having been one of the first decipherers of the cuneiform inscriptions of Nineveh. He was also the author of English Etymologies (1846). | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (April 11, 1810 – March 5, 1895) was a British soldier, diplomat and orientalist. ... Edward Hincks Edward Hincks (August 19, 1792 - December 3, 1866), Irish Assyriologist and one of the decipherers of Mesopotamian cuneiform. ... Cuneiform script The Cuneiform script is one of the earliest known forms of written expression. ... , For other uses, see Nineveh (disambiguation). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1843-44, he set up his establishment in Baker Street, Reading where he remained for three years. He died at Lacock Abbey. 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jan. ... Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Who's Who of Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by Michael Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)

Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

William Fox Talbot

• The Fox Talbot Museum
• The correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot
• `Talbot' vs. `Fox Talbot'
• The Calotype Patent Lawsuit of Talbot v. Laroche, 1854
• Talbot and Photogenic Drawing