19thC; Jones Calvert, Anchor & rigging

During the 1830s William Henry Fox Talbot invented a way of making paper negatives and from them multiple paper prints. In doing so, he laid the foundations of modern photography. Calvert Richard Jones learned of these developments in 1839 through a neighbour, who was a cousin of Talbot. Jones made many pictures in the West of England and South Wales, where he lived. He also travelled widely, making photographs on the continent. Jones' work stands out in the early development of photography because he was one of the first to apply a schooled artist's eye to the medium.
Jones made many maritime photographs, paintings and drawings between 1830 and 1860. This still life of an maritime equipment is centred on an anchor. The curve of the fluke draws the eye round the arranged circular elements: coils of rope, a woven basket and a block and tackle.

This still-life may be a deck-top detail from a photograph of HMS Superb (Science Museum Collection, National Media Museum)

PH.127-1983