See Some Of The Earliest Photography Of London

M@
By M@ Last edited 95 months ago
See Some Of The Earliest Photography Of London
Nelson's Column under construction, Trafalgar Square, London, first week of April 1844, William Henry Fox Talbot © National Media Museum, Bradford / Science & Society Picture Library

The Science Museum's latest exhibition looks at photographic pioneer and occasional Londoner William Henry Fox Talbot. Talbot was active from the mid-1830s, and sits alongside Louis Daguerre as one of the fathers of the medium.

The exhibition shows many of Fox Talbot's early images, including group shots, portraits, landscapes and still life photography.

1841 photo of Nicolaas henneman.Nicolaas Henneman in the Cloisters of Lacock Abbey, 1841, William Henry Fox Talbot © National Media Museum, Bradford / Science & Society Picture Library

The show also looks at early photographic techniques, and explores Fox Talbot's interactions with other greats of the time, including Faraday and Babbage.

William Henry Fox Talbot and Nicolaas Henneman at the Reading establishment, 1846 William Henry Fox Talbot © National Media Museum, Bradford / Science & Society Picture Library

The earliest shot on display is a simple camera obscura impression of a latticed window from August 1835 — before the Victorian era. Fox Talbot quickly improved the technology, allowing him to capture detailed portraits, such as this 1843 shot of his daughter Rosamond.

Talbot's daughter, Rosamond (1837-1906), c.1843, William Henry Fox Talbot © National Media Museum, Bradford / Science & Society Picture Library

Fox Talbot: Dawn of the Photograph is at the Science Museum until 11 September 2016. Entrance £8.

Last Updated 14 April 2016