4095 - Talbot, William Henry Fox

Talbot, William Henry Fox Articles of China. 1844. Salted paper print from a calotype paper negative, printed 1846, mounted to card. 12 x 16,7 cm (mount 24 x 29,8 cm). Published as one of the original Talbotypes issued with The Art-Union, vol. VIII, no. 91 (London: Palmer & Clayton, June 1846), this carefully ordered still life of porcelain demonstrates the descriptive precision of Talbot’s negative-positive process. Its balanced arrangement of decorative objects foregrounds photography’s potential as an exact means of visual record. – Mount with extensive foxing, age-staining and uneven discolouration, more pronounced on the verso; edges worn, chipped and partly split, with small corner losses and creases. Print with a few small dark spots, minor surface abrasions and an irregular horizontal crease across the lower section; pronounced fading with considerable loss of contrast and detail; otherwise in good condition.