- Accompanies an exhibition in the Media Space gallery of the Science
Museum, London, in spring 2016- Approximately 30 per cent of the
material in the book (by both Talbot and his own circle) is currently
unavailable in print or previously unpublished- Explores new angles of
interpretation, in particular the influences of Talbot's closest circle
of friends, and whether photography ever achieved the ambitions that he
set out for itPublished to accompany an exhibition at the Science
Museum, London, in spring 2016, this catalogue features 100 high-quality
reproductions of Talbot's work.Through two introductory essays, the book
examines how Talbot's invention of photography in the 1830s, evolved to
establish the artistic, scientific and industrial possibilities for
photography. As a radically new way of seeing, Talbot set out how the
medium of photography had the ability to open up the visual world to a
different kind of scrutiny, as well as to reaffirm what was considered
to be 'real'. Such experiments make Talbot's practice and thinking all
the more complex and lasting but also provocative as he sits between
ambitions of art and science through photography, and economic gain. The
book furthermore discusses the relationships between a network of
photographers who gravitated towards Talbot's process but each of whom
took photography into different territory. Assessing their artistic
contribution and social legacy, it reflects on how enthusiasm for
photography was initially limited to a small close-knit, elite group of
people.William Henry Fox Talbot is a testament to Talbot's magical and
industrial visions for his invention, that range from the delicate
capture of natural specimens to more staged and functional ambitions for
photography as means of mass production. It will be of interest to the
art enthusiast and general historian of nineteenth-century innovation,
as well as to all those curious to learn more about this pioneer of
photography.
