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Single leaf - split where stem has been removed

Photograph
ca. 1839 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Fox Talbot, William Henry (photographer)
Place of origin
Great Britain (photographed)

Photogenic drawing of a single leaf; dark brown colour.

Object details

Categories
Photographs
The Royal Photographic Society
Object type
Photograph
TitleSingle leaf - split where stem has been removed (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Paper negative, photogenic drawing. Not available for issue to the public in the Prints and Drawings Study Room due to light sensitivity. Please contact the Photography Department via our enquiry service for further information.
Photographic Paper
Photogenic Drawing
Photography
Brief description
Photograph by William Henry Fox Talbot, 'Single leaf - split where stem has been removed', paper negative - photogenic drawing, ca. 1839
Physical description
Photogenic drawing of a single leaf; dark brown colour.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 152mm
  • Image width: 105mm
Gallery label
Cameraless Photography

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–77)
Leaf
Circa 1839
Photogenic drawing negative
Museum no. RPS. 39-2017 (RPS No. 025118 / Schaaf 1682)

Unlike a hand-drawn example, where an artist could use the imagination to fill in details, photography captured exactly what it saw. In this case, the stem has been torn away, accidentally or intentionally, from the leaf, a loss faithfully recorded by Talbot’s sensitive paper. Most of these early negatives were never printed, for Talbot saw them as precious original drawings made by nature. There is one known salt print from this negative.

The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund
Credit line
The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.
Associated object
PROV.1594-2017 (RPS Group record)
Bibliographic reference
Schaaf, Larry John. The Photographic Art of William Henry Fox Talbot. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2000. ISBN 0691050007.
Other numbers
  • RPS025118 - Royal Photographic Society number
  • old RPS 119 - Royal Photographic Society number
  • XRP589 - RPS collection - V&A identifier
Collection
Department of Photography
Accession number
RPS.39-2017

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Record createdMarch 22, 2017
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1387776/single-leaf---split-photograph-fox-talbot-william/
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