{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1388950"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1388950/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017KN2929/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017KN2929/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2017KN2929","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KR3349","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KR6273","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1388950","accessionNumber":"RPS.245-2017","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Two Leaves","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Talbot was the British inventor of photography. In 1834 he discovered how to make and fix images through the action of light and chemistry on paper. These ‘negatives’ could be used to make multiple prints. This revolutionised image making.\r\n\r\nTalbot excelled in many fields, including mathematics, optics, botany and chemistry. However, it was his inability to master drawing outdoors that prompted him to experiment with capturing images inside a camera. He published his photographic discoveries and ideas, illustrated with original photographs, in his book The Pencil of Nature. Talbot patented his negative photographic process, which he called the ‘calotype’, in 1841. Later, he pioneered photographic engraving – printing photographs in ink. His processes became the basis of virtually all subsequent photography. ","physicalDescription":"A black and white print depicting two leaves next to each other. The leaf on the left has a more pointed shape whilst the leaf on the right is more rounded.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Fox Talbot, William Henry","id":"A15794"},"association":{"text":"photoengraver","id":"AAT25715"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"},{"text":"paper (fiber product)","id":"AAT14109"}],"techniques":[{"text":"photo-engraving","id":"AAT53297"},{"text":"photoglyphic engraving","id":"THES279713"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Photo-engraving","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"The Royal Photographic Society","id":"THES281081"},{"text":"Flowers and plants","id":"THES413216"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"DOP","id":"THES291628"},"images":["2017KN2929","2018KR3349","2018KR6273"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"MB006","shelf":"BY003","box":"XRP 597 B"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":"AAT41273"}],[{"text":"photoengraving","id":"AAT154358"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"United Kingdom","id":"x29336"},"association":{"text":"photoengraving","id":"AAT53297"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca.1858","earliest":"1853-01-01","latest":"1862-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photoengraving","id":"AAT53297"},"note":"Date that this photographic engraving process was patented.\r\nInscribed in reverse on the plate with 'May 7'."}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"RPS.242-2017","id":"O1388947"},"association":""}],"creditLine":"The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"68","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Image","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"97","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Image","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"May 7","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inscribed in reverse on the plate."}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Print by William Henry Fox Talbot, Two Leaves, photoglyphic engraving, ca.1858","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Schaaf, Larry John. <u>The Photographic Art of William Henry Fox Talbot.</u> Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2000. ISBN 0691050007."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"<b>Photography Centre 2018-20:</b>\n\nWilliam Henry Fox Talbot (1800–77) \r\n\r\nTalbot was the British inventor of photography. In 1834 he discovered how to make and fix images through the action of light and chemistry on paper. These ‘negatives’ could be used to make multiple prints. This revolutionised image making.\r\n\r\nTalbot excelled in many fields, including mathematics, optics, botany and chemistry. However, it was his inability to master drawing outdoors that prompted him to experiment with capturing images inside a camera. He published his photographic discoveries and ideas, illustrated with original photographs, in his book The Pencil of Nature. Talbot patented his negative photographic process, which he called the ‘calotype’, in 1841. Later, he pioneered photographic engraving – printing photographs in ink. His processes became the basis of virtually all subsequent photography. \r\n\r\nYou can see how calotypes are made in the ‘Dark Tent’ film room in Room 99.\r\n\r\nThe Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund\r\n","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}},{"text":"<b>Cameraless Photography\n</b>\nWilliam Henry Fox Talbot (1800–77)\r\nFerns, leaves and fabric\r\nc. 1852\r\nPhotographic engravings\r\n25 x 24 cm \r\nMuseum no. RPS. 242, 243, 244, 245-2017\r\n\r\nTalbot’s silver-based photographs often suffered from fading when they entered the real-world conditions of sunlit drawing rooms and coal-smoke laden country houses. For the last 25 years of his life, he sought to perfect a method of using silver-based photography to faithfully capture nature’s drawing, and then photographically producing an intaglio printing plate from this that would allow the final prints to be rendered in permanent printer’s ink. As in his earliest photographic experiments, he at first turned to plants and fabric to make contact-printed images on his copper or steel printing plates. He first called these ‘photographic engravings’ and patented the process in 1852. It was the direct forerunner of the modern photogravure process.\r\n\nThe Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&amp;A, acquired with the generous assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund ","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["RPS.245-2017"],"accessionNumberNum":"245","accessionNumberPrefix":"RPS","accessionYear":2017,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Royal Photographic Society number","id":"THES275233"},"number":"RPS025526"},{"type":{"text":"Royal Photographic Society number","id":"THES275233"},"number":"old RPS 157"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-14","recordCreationDate":"2017-03-31","availableToBook":false}}