Synopses & Reviews
William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) is best remembered as the scientist who invented photography. Others had tried recording the images projected by a lens, but Talbot was the first to grasp the physical basis for realizing this dream and to conceive of a practical means for fixing these ephemeral images permanently onto a sheet of paper. But Talbot's considerable technical achievements have often overshadowed his growth as an artist. Larry Schaaf examines this artistic growth by bringing together for the first time high quality reproductions of one hundred photographs representing the full sweep of Talbot's work. These beautiful images are not only records of scientific triumphs, but also the evidence of the first steps in shaping a totally new type of vision.
A classicist, physicist, and mathematician by training, Talbot originally viewed his new invention as a means of visual documentation, particularly of the botanical specimens he loved so dearly. But gradually his new technology taught him to see, and the growth of Talbot's personal vision defined the beginnings of modern photography. The resulting corpus of work ranged from seminal early images rich in primal beauty to later, fully sophisticated photographs. Illuminating these images with excerpts from Talbot's own writings and those of his contemporaries, this book is a visual celebration of the early days of photography.
The one hundred plates are reproduced in the actual size of the originals and in all the subtle colors that comprised Talbot's early work. They range from Talbot's Lilliputian pre-1839 negatives (made in "mousetrap" cameras) through botanical photograms to mid-1840s calotypes that demonstrate a sure command of the new art. Each plate is discussed in detail, drawing on important new research conducted by the author.
Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Talbot's birth, The Photographic Art of William Henry Fox Talbot will not only deepen our understanding of early photography but will also serve as an important archive for those who may never have the pleasure to witness firsthand these rare and fragile works. As such, this beautifully produced book is an essential addition to the library of anyone who collects, studies, and admires photography.
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"A nicely illusrated and well researched overview."
--Library Journal
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"The magnificently subtle color reproductions in
The Photographic Art of William Henry Fox Talbot is the next best thing to looking at the originals. . . . This guide should stimulate anyone interested in the origins of photography to look more deeply at these seminal images and their underlying concepts."
--Photovision
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Lavish and scholarly . . . .
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"This magnificent quarto volume will now serve as the primary introduction to the photography of William Henry Fox Talbot. . . . Altogether, a masterful production, very highly recommended."
--Choice
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"These 100 images constitute the full expansion of a photographic consciousness as sophisticated and curious as any that has ever existed. Under Schaaf's direction . . . the result is the closest thing possible in ink to the prints themselves and perhaps the finest presentation of photographs in commercial book form to date. The cumulative impact is a palpable sense of discovery, of things glimpsed for the first time and unforgettable as a result."
--Lyle Rexer, Art in America
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"Destined to become one of the great publications on the history of photography . . .This is publishing in the grand style . . .Will appeal to anyone interested in the art of photography, whether historical or contemporary."
--Mark Haworth-Booth, The Times Higher Education Supplement
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Winner of the 2000 for Excellence in Design and Production in Professional/Scholarly Publishing, Association of American Publishers
Third place for the 2001 Special Trade/Photography Award, New York Book Show
Honorable Mention for the 2000 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in the Arts, Association of American Publishers
Winner of the Kraszna-Krausz Award for Best Book in Art, Culture and History
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"[A] lushly produced volume of more than 100 colorplates beautifully framed on creamy paper . . . Schaaf . . . brings an understated acumen to the selections."
--Publishers Weekly
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"Lavish and scholarly."
--Geoff Dyer, The Independent
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"As spectacular a homage to an inventor of photography as one could imagine, this ... [is an] exquisitely designed and produced volume. . . . Beautiful and informative."
--New York Times Book Review
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"Simply splendid. . . . The selection of 100 full-color, beautifully printed images is flawless."
--Anne Horton, Art and Auction
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"This book is not only about Talbot the inventor, but Talbot the sensitive artist. For an artist he quickly became, as can be seen from his high-quality negatives and photographs . . . that Schaaf has brought together in this splendid and very large book, all of them printed in their original format and exact sepia or color tones."
--Meir Ronnen, The Jerusalem Post
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"This book would be a wonderful addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of photography."
--Maine Antique Digest
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"Though strictly monochrome, there is a great range of colours and tones within the prints. Reds, yellows, violets and browns are all present, subtly creating the softest of images."
--Philippa Boston, Oxford Times
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"With this book what has been only arguable is now demonstrable: that the English inventor of photography William Fox Talbot was an artist . . .Talbot and his pictures stand out in long-overdue relief."
--Ben Lifson, Art on Paper
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"The 100 images that Mr. Schaaf has exquisitely reproduced for this book are certainly worth owning by all who revere 19th-century English history and the heyday of the Industrial Revolution, and by those who adore beautiful books."
--J. Ross Baughman, The Washington Times
Table of Contents
Preface 6
MISCELLANEA PHOTOGENICA "A Little bit of Magic Realised" 11
Some tools for Understanding Talbot's Photographs 17
Epilogue 28
THE PLATES 33
Notes 234
A Brief Annotated Bibliography 259
Index and Glossary 260