Getty Museum

[Woodshed at Lacock Abbey]

Date

1840

Medium

Photogenic drawing paper negative, iodide fixed

Culture

British

Department

Photographs

Institution

Getty Museum

> The practical, day-to-day workings around Talbot’s country estate, Lacock Abbey, provided a rich source of subject matter for his camera. As seen in *Wall in Melon Ground, Lacock Abbey* (see [84.XM.260.6](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/38257/william-henry-fox-talbot-wall-in-melon-ground-lacock-abbey-british-may-2-1840/) and [84.XZ.574.104](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/63283/william-henry-fox-talbot-wall-in-melon-ground-lacock-abbey-british-may-2-1840/)) and also here, the textures and patterns of farm implements played constantly with the light. The artist inscribed one of the prints made from this negative “Scene from nature. H. F. Talbot phot. 1840” and sent it to a friend, the Italian optician Giovanni Battista Amici (municipal collection of Modena). > > Talbot sometimes waxed his negatives after they were processed. This made the paper base more transparent, thus facilitating printing by allowing more light through the negative to create a positive. However, this logical and seemingly practical step did not become his usual practice. Although the waxing made for faster printing when the sunshine was copious and allowed production during the frequent days when the English sky was overcast, it altered the apparent contrast as well, which was sometimes devastating to shadow detail. The waxing also embrittled the paper fibers, increasing the risk of damage to the delicate negative when it was repeatedly subjected to the rigors of printing. Several positives were made from this negative before it was cut to its present size; perhaps the subsequent trimming was done as a result of damage to the edges of the waxed paper negative. > > Larry Schaaf, *William Henry Fox Talbot*, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2002), 36. ©2002 J. Paul Getty Trust.

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