Research Catalog

The pencil of nature

Title
The pencil of nature / by H. Fox Talbot, Esq., F.R.S., &c. &c. &c.
Author
Talbot, William Henry Fox, 1800-1877
Publication
London : Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans, 1844 [that is, 1844-1846].

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StatusVol/DateFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextRestricted use *KF+ 1844 (Talbot, W. H. F. Pencil of nature. London)Schwarzman Building - Rare Book Collection Room 328
pt. 1TextBy appointment only MFZ+ (Talbot) 17-2420 pt. 1Schwarzman Building - Photography Collection Room 308

Details

Description
80 unnumbered pages, 24 leaves of plates : 24 photographs; 31 cm
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Photographic prints – Great Britain – 19th century.
  • Salted paper prints.
Note
  • For description and census of known surviving copies, see: Schaaf, Larry J. "Third census of H. Fox Talbot's The pencil of nature," in History of photography, v. 36 (2012), pages 99-120.
  • Issued in 6 parts, 1844-1846 (all covers dated 1844). Part number is supplied in ink on front cover, following the printed word "No."
  • Parts were issued 24 June 1844, 29 January 1845, 14/29 May 1845, 21 June 1845, 13/22 December 1845, and before 23 April 1846, respectively; see Schaaf.
  • "The plates of the present work are impressed by the agency of light alone, without any aid whatever from the artist's pencil. They are the sun-pictures themselves, and not, as some persons have imagined, engravings in imitation"--"Notice to the reader," inserted in late copies of part 1 and in most copies of subsequent parts. The original notice, in 3 lines, appeared with part 2; an expanded version in 5 lines appeared in later parts, including late copies of part 1.
  • Contains 24 mounted photographs (salted paper prints) by William Henry Fox Talbot, numbered in ink on the mount.
  • Title page printed in red and black.
Additional Formats (note)
  • Also available online via Nineteenth Century Collections Online.
Source (note)
  • Lenox Library (see its Lenox library short-title lists, 1887-1890, page 74).
Provenance (note)
  • Presentation copy, inscribed on front cover: "À M. [Hippolyte] Fizeau, de la part de l'auteur." "This is the only intact presentation copy known"--Schaaf.
Binding (note)
  • Issued in illustrated paper covers, printed (chromolithographed) in red and black.
Call Number
*KF+ 1844 (Talbot, W. H. F. Pencil of nature. London)
LCCN
09016768
OCLC
3317813
Author
Talbot, William Henry Fox, 1800-1877, author, photographer.
Title
The pencil of nature / by H. Fox Talbot, Esq., F.R.S., &c. &c. &c.
Publisher
London : Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans, 1844 [that is, 1844-1846].
Type of Content
text
still image
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Local Note
In Schaaf's Third census, copy in *KF+ 1844 is no. 27 and copy in MFZ+ (Talbot) is no. 68.
Copy in MFZ+ (Talbot): Fizeau Collection.
Additional Formats
Also available online via Nineteenth Century Collections Online.
Binding
Issued in illustrated paper covers, printed (chromolithographed) in red and black.
Provenance
Copy in MFZ+ (Talbot): Presentation copy, inscribed on front cover: "À M. [Hippolyte] Fizeau, de la part de l'auteur." "This is the only intact presentation copy known"--Schaaf.
Local Note
Copy in *KF+ 1844: Front covers of original parts bound in at end. Three-line Notice in no. 5; 5-line Notice in no. 4
Copy in MFZ+ (Talbot): Part 1 only, containing 5 photographs. In original illustrated paper covers. "No price or part number has been filled in on the wrapper, indicating that Talbot selected it before it entered commercial channels"--Schaaf.
1258.
Source
Copy in *KF+ 1844: Lenox Library (see its Lenox library short-title lists, 1887-1890, page 74).
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Added Author
Fizeau, H. (Hippolyte), 1819-1896. former owner (Copy in MFZ (Talbot))
Research Call Number
*KF+ 1844 (Talbot, W. H. F. Pencil of nature. London)
MFZ+ (Talbot) 17-2420
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