{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1388951"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1388951/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017KN3276/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017KN3276/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2017KN3276","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KR3335","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KR3343","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1388951","accessionNumber":"RPS.246-2017","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Four ferns - done with cloth \"halftone\" screen","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 mounted black and white print depicting four different types of fern leaves.","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":["2017KN3276","2018KR3335","2018KR3343"],"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":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":"Date that the photoglyphic engraving process was patented."}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"PROV.1602-2017","id":"O1381487"},"association":"RPS Group record"}],"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":"260","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Image","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"218","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Image","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Fern Leaves. Photo-engraving by Fox Talbot, showing crape veil","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Recto, on label in Charles Henry Talbot's hand (son of the artist)."}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Print by William Henry Fox Talbot, Four ferns - done with cloth \"halftone\" screen, 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":"From a plate in the RPS collection, RPS025492. From frame with a label for Whitechapel Art Gallery Photographic Exhibition 1905.","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</b>\n\nWilliam Henry Fox Talbot (1800–77)\r\nFerns Leaves \r\nc.1852\r\nPhotographic engraving\r\n26 x 21.8 cm\r\nMuseum no. RPS. 246-2017\r\n\r\nInitially, reproducing a range of middle tones was a challenge for Talbot, for any wide channels in his intaglio plates lost some of their ink when wiped over to remove excess ink from the blank areas. His first solution to the problem was to create the equivalent of the half-tone dot. Close examination of this print and its plate reveals that he imposed a piece of loosely-woven fabric over the image, breaking up the solid areas into small ones that would retain their ink but still give good tonalities to the eye at a normal viewing distance.\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.246-2017"],"accessionNumberNum":"246","accessionNumberPrefix":"RPS","accessionYear":2017,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Royal Photographic Society number","id":"THES275233"},"number":"RPS025527"},{"type":{"text":"Science Museum Group accession number","id":"THES275235"},"number":"2003-5001/2/28409"},{"type":{"text":"RPS collection - V&A identifier","id":"THES275176"},"number":"XRP597"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-14","recordCreationDate":"2017-03-31","availableToBook":false}}