#ahdd ,title ,page  ,the ,pencil of     
,nature          ,h4 ,fox ,talbot       
,longman1 ,brown1 ,green and ,longmans1 
,london  #ahdd            ,,contents    
,introductory ,remarks  ,brief          
,historical ,sketch of the ,invention of
 the ,art  ,,plate ,i4 ,,part ,,of      
,,queen',s ,,college1 ,,oxford4  ,,plate
 ,,ii4 ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,boulevards   
,,at ,,paris4  ,,plate ,,iii4 ,,articles
 ,,of ,,china4  ,,plate ,,iv4           
,,articles ,,of ,,glass4  ,,plate ,v4   
,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4  ,,plate ,,vi4 
,,the ,,open ,,door4  ,,plate ,,vii4    
,,leaf ,,of ,a ,,plant4  ,,plate ,,viii4
  ,a ,,scene ,,in ,a ,,library4  ,,plate
 ,,ix4 ,,fac-,,simile ,,of ,,an ,,old   
,,printed ,,page4  ,,plate ,x4 ,,the    
,,haystack4  ,,plate ,,xi4 ,,copy ,,of  
,a ,,lithographic ,,print4  ,,plate     
,,xii4 ,,the ,,bridge ,,of ,,orleans4   
,,plate ,,xiii4 ,,queen',s ,,college1   
,,oxford4  ,,plate ,,xiv4 ,,the         
,,ladder4  ,,plate ,,xv4 ,,lacock       
,,abbey ,,in ,,wiltshire4  ,,plate      

,,xvi4 ,,cloisters ,,of ,,lacock        
,,abbey4  ,,plate ,,xvii4 ,,bust ,,of   
,,patroclus4  ,,plate ,,xviii4 ,,gate   
,,of ,,christchurch4  ,,plate ,,xix4    
,,the ,,tower ,,of ,,lacock ,,abbey     
,,plate ,,xx4 ,,lace  ,,plate ,,xxi4    
,,the ,,martyrs' ,,monument  ,,plate    
,,xxii4 ,,westminster ,,abbey  ,,plate  
,,xxiii4 ,,hagar ,,in ,,the ,,desert4   
,,plate ,,xxiv4 ,a ,,fruit ,,piece4     
,,illustrations      ,,plate ,i4 ,,part 
,,of ,,queen',s ,,college1 ,,oxford4    
,,plate ,,ii4 ,,view ,,of ,,the         
,,boulevards ,,at ,,paris4  ,,plate     
,,iii4 ,,articles ,,of ,,china4  ,,plate
 ,,iv4  ,,articles ,,of ,,glass4        
,,plate ,v4  ,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4   
,,plate ,,vi4  ,,the ,,open ,,door4     
,,plate ,,vii4  ,,leaf ,,of ,a ,,plant4 
,,plate ,,viii4  ,a ,,scene ,,in ,a     
,,library4  ,,plate ,,ix4 ,,fac-,,simile
 ,,of ,,an ,,old ,,printed ,,page4      
,,plate ,x4 ,,the ,,haystack4  ,,plate  
,,xi4 ,,copy ,,of ,a ,,lithographic     
,,print4  ,,plate ,,xii4 ,,the ,,bridge 

,,of ,,orleans4  ,,plate ,,xiii4        
,,queen',s ,,college1 ,,oxford1         
,entrance ,gateway  ,,plate ,,xiv4 ,,the
 ,,ladder4  ,,plate ,,xv4 ,,lacock      
,,abbey ,,in ,,wiltshire4  ,,plate      
,,xvi4 ,,cloisters ,,of ,,lacock        
,,abbey4  ,,plate ,,xvii4 ,,bust ,,of   
,,patroclus4  ,,plate ,,xviii4 ,,gate   
,,of ,,christchurch4  ,,plate ,,xix4    
,,the ,,tower ,,of ,,lacock ,,abbey     
,,plate ,,xx4 ,,lace  ,,plate ,,xxi4    
,,the ,,martyrs' ,,monument  ,,plate    
,,xxii4 ,,westminster ,,abbey  ,,plate  
,,xxiii4 ,,hagar ,,in ,,the ,,desert4   
,,plate ,,xxiv4 ,a ,,fruit ,,piece4     
,,introductory ,,remarks      ,the      
little work now presented to the ,public
 is the first attempt to  publish a     
series of plates or pictures wholly     
executed by the new art of  ,photogenic 
,drawing1 without any aid whatever from 
the artist's pencil4    ,the term       
8,photography0 is now so well known1    
that an explanation of it is  perhaps   
superfluous2 yet1 as some persons may   

still be unacquainted with  the art1    
even by name1 its discovery being still 
of very recent date1 a  few words may be
 looked for of general explanation4     
,it may suffice1 then1 to say1 that the 
plates of this work have been  obtained 
by the mere action of ,light upon       
sensitive paper4  ,they have been       
formed or depicted by optical and       
chemical means alone1 and without the   
aid of any one acquainted with the art  
of drawing4  ,it is needless1           
therefore1 to say that they differ in   
all respects1 and as widely us          
possible1 in their origin1 from plates  
of the ordinary kind1 which owe  their  
existence to the united skill of the    
,artist and the ,engraver4    ,they are 
impressed by ,nature's hand2 and what   
they want as yet of delicacy  and finish
 of execution arises chiefly from our   
want of sufficient  knowledge of her    
laws4  ,when we have learnt more1 by    
experience1  respecting the formation of
 such pictures1 they will doubtless be  

brought  much nearer to perfection2 and 
though we may not be able to conjecture 
with any certainty what rank they may   
hereafter attain to as pictorial        
productions1 they will surely find their
 own sphere of utility1 both for        
completeness of detail and correctness  
of perspective4    ,the ,author of the  
present work having been so fortunate as
 to discover1  about ten years ago1 the 
principles and practice of ,photogenic  
,drawing1 is  desirous that the first   
specimen of an ,art1 likely in all      
probability to  be much employed in     
future1 should be published in the      
country where it  was first discovered4 
,and he makes no doubt that his         
countrymen will deem  such an intention 
sufficiently laudable to induce them to 
excuse the  imperfections necessarily   
incident to a first attempt to exhibit  
an ,art of  so great singularity1 which 
employs processes entirely new1 and     
having no  analogy to any thing in use  
before4  ,that such imperfections will  

occur in  a first essay1 must indeed be 
expected4  ,at present the ,art can     
hardly be  said to have advanced beyond 
its infancy--at any rate1 it is yet in a
 very  early stage--and its practice is 
often impeded by doubts and             
difficulties1  which1 with increasing   
knowledge1 will diminish and disappear4 
,its  progress will be more rapid when  
more minds are devoted to its           
improvement1 and when more of skilful   
manual assistance is employed in the    
manipulation of its delicate processes2 
the paucity of which skilled  assistance
 at the present moment the ,author finds
 one of the chief  difficulties in his  
way4            ,,brief ,,historical    
,,sketch ,,of ,,the ,,invention ,,of    
,,the ,,art      ,it may be proper to   
preface these specimens of a new ,art by
 a brief  account of the circumstances  
which preceded and led to the discovery 
of  it4  ,and these were nearly as      
follows4    ,one of the first days of   
the month of ,october #ahcc1 ,i was     

amusing myself  on the lovely shores of 
the ,lake of ,como1 in ,italy1 taking   
sketches with  ,wollaston's ,camera     
,lucida1 or rather ,i should say1       
attempting to take  them3 but with the  
smallest possible amount of success4    
,for when the eye  was removed from the 
prism--in which all looked beautiful--,i
 found that the  faithless pencil had   
only left traces on the paper melancholy
 to behold4    ,after various fruitless 
attempts1 ,i laid aside the instrument  
and came to  the conclusion1 that its   
use required a previous knowledge of    
drawing1  which unfortunately ,i did not
 possess4    ,i then thought of trying  
again a method which ,i had tried many  
years  before4  ,this method was1 to    
take a ,camera ,obscura1 and to throw   
the image  of the objects on a piece of 
transparent tracing paper laid on a pane
 of  glass in the focus of the          
instrument4  ,on this paper the objects 
are  distinctly seen1 and can be traced 
on it with a pencil with some degree of 

accuracy1 though not without much time  
and trouble4    ,i had tried this simple
 method during former visits to ,italy  
in #ahbc and  #ahbd1 but found it in    
practice somewhat difficult to manage1  
because the  pressure of the hand and   
pencil upon the paper tends to shake and
 displace  the instrument 7insecurely   
fixed1 in all probability1 while taking 
a hasty  sketch by a roadside1 or out of
 an inn window72 and if the instrument  
is  once deranged1 it is most difficult 
to get it back again1 so as to point    
truly in its former direction4          
,besides which1 there is another        
objection1 namely1 that it baffles the  
skill and patience of the amateur to    
trace all the minute details visible  on
 the paper2 so that1 in fact1 he carries
 away with him little beyond a  mere    
souvenir of the scene--which1 however1  
certainly has its value when  looked    
back to1 in long after years4    ,such1 
then1 was the method which ,i proposed  
to try again1 and to  endeavour1 as     

before1 to trace with my pencil the     
outlines of the scenery  depicted on the
 paper4  ,and this led me to reflect on 
the inimitable  beauty of the pictures  
of nature's painting which the glass    
lens of the  ,camera throws upon the    
paper in its focus--fairy pictures1     
creations of a  moment1 and destined as 
rapidly to fade away4    ,it was during 
these thoughts that the idea occurred to
 me'''how charming it  would be if it   
were possible to cause these natural    
images to imprint  themselves durably1  
and remain fixed upon the paper6    ,and
 why should it not be possible8  ,i     
asked myself4    ,the picture1 divested 
of the ideas which accompany it1 and    
considered only  in its ultimate nature1
 is but a succession or variety of      
stronger lights  thrown upon one part of
 the paper1 and of deeper shadows on    
another4  ,now  ,light1 where it exists1
 can exert an action1 and1 in certain   
circumstances1 does exert one sufficient
 to cause changes in material  bodies4  

,suppose1 then1 such an action could be 
exerted on the paper2 and  suppose the  
paper could be visibly changed by it4   
,in that case surely  some effect must  
result having a general resemblance to  
the cause which  produced it3 so that   
the variegated scene of light and shade 
might leave  its image or impression    
behind1 stronger or weaker on different 
parts of  the paper according to the    
strength or weakness of the light which 
had  acted there4    ,such was the idea 
that came into my mind4  ,whether it had
 ever occurred to  me before amid       
floating philosophic visions1 ,i know   
not1 though ,i rather  think it must    
have done so1 because on this occasion  
it struck me so  forcibly4  ,i was then 
a wanderer in classic ,italy1 and1 of   
course1 unable  to commence an inquiry  
of so much difficulty3 but1 lest the    
thought should  again escape me between 
that time and my return to ,england1 ,i 
made a  careful note of it in writing1  
and also of such experiments as ,i      

thought  would be most likely to realize
 it1 if it were possible4    ,and since1
 according to chemical writers1 the     
nitrate of silver is a  substance       
peculiarly sensitive to the action of   
light1 ,i resolved to make  a trial of  
it1 in the first instance1 whenever     
occasion permitted on my  return to     
,england4    ,but although ,i knew the  
fact from chemical books1 that nitrate  
of silver  was changed or decomposed by 
,light1 still ,i had never seen the     
experiment  tried1 and therefore ,i had 
no idea whether the action was a rapid  
or a  slow one2 a point1 however1 of the
 utmost importance1 since1 if it were a 
slow one1 my theory might prove but a   
philosophic dream4    ,such were1 as    
nearly as ,i can now remember1 the      
reflections which led me  to the        
invention of this theory1 and which     
first impelled me to explore a  path so 
deeply hidden among nature's secrets4   
,and the numerous researches  which were
 afterwards made--whatever success may  

be thought to have  attended            
them--cannot1 ,i think1 admit of a      
comparison with the value of the  first 
and original idea4    ,in ,january      
#ahcd1 ,i returned to ,england from my  
continental tour1 and soon  afterwards  
,i determined to put my theories and    
speculations to the test of  experiment1
 and see whether they had any real      
foundation4    ,accordingly ,i began by 
procuring a solution of nitrate of      
silver1 and with  a brush spread some of
 it upon a sheet of paper1 which was    
afterwards  dried4  ,when this paper was
 exposed to the sunshine1 ,i was        
disappointed to  find that the effect   
was very slowly produced in comparison  
with what ,i  had anticipated4    ,i    
then tried the chloride of silver1      
freshly precipitated and spread upon    
paper while moist4  ,this was found no  
better than the other1 turning  slowly  
to a darkish violet colour when exposed 
to the sun4    ,instead of taking the   
chloride already formed1 and spreading  

it upon  paper1 ,i then proceeded in the
 following way4  ,the paper was first   
washed  with a strong solution of salt1 
and when this was dry1 it was washed    
again  with nitrate of silver4  ,of     
course1 chloride of silver was thus     
formed in  the paper1 but the result of 
this experiment was almost the same as  
before1 the chloride not being          
apparently rendered more sensitive by   
being  formed in this way4    ,similar  
experiments were repeated at various    
times1 in hopes of a better  result1    
frequently changing the proportions     
employed1 and sometimes using  the      
nitrate of silver before the salt1 c4 c4
    ,in the course of these experiments1
 which were often rapidly performed1 it 
sometimes happened that the brush did   
not pass over the whole of the  paper1  
and of course this produced irregularity
 in the results4  ,on some  occasions   
certain portions of the paper were      
observed to blacken in the  sunshine    
much more rapidly than the rest4  ,these

 more sensitive portions  were generally
 situated near the edges or confines of 
the part that had  been washed over with
 the brush4    ,after much consideration
 as to the cause of this appearance1 ,i 
conjectured  that these bordering       
portions might have absorbed a lesser   
quantity of  salt1 and that1 for some   
reason or other1 this had made them more
  sensitive to the light4  ,this idea   
was easily put to the test of           
experiment4  ,a sheet of paper was      
moistened with a much weaker solution of
  salt than usual1 and when dry1 it was 
washed with nitrate of silver4  ,this   
paper1 when exposed to the sunshine1    
immediately manifested a far greater    
degree of sensitiveness than ,i had     
witnessed before1 the whole of its      
surface turning black uniformly and     
rapidly3 establishing at once and       
beyond all question the important fact1 
that a lesser quantity of salt  produced
 a greater effect4  ,and1 as this       
circumstance was unexpected1 it         

afforded a simple explanation of the    
cause why previous inquirers had  missed
 this important result1 in their        
experiments on chloride of silver1      
namely1 because they had always operated
 with wrong proportions of salt  and    
silver1 using plenty of salt in order to
 produce a perfect chloride1  whereas   
what was required 7it was now manifest7 
was1 to have a deficiency  of salt1 in  
order to produce an imperfect chloride1 
or 7perhaps it should  be called7 a     
subchloride of silver4    ,so far was a 
free use or abundance of salt from      
promoting the action of  light on the   
paper1 that on the contrary it greatly  
weakened and almost  destroyed it3 so   
much so1 that a bath of salt water was  
used subsequently  as a fixing process  
to prevent the further action of light  
upon sensitive  paper4    ,this process1
 of the formation of a subchloride by   
the use of a very weak  solution of     
salt1 having been discovered in the     
spring of #ahcd1 no  difficulty was     

found in obtaining distinct and very    
pleasing images of  such things as      
leaves1 lace1 and other flat objects of 
complicated forms  and outlines1 by     
exposing them to the light of the sun4  
,the paper being well dried1 the leaves1
 c4 were spread upon it1 and  covered   
with a glass pressed down tightly1 and  
then placed in the  sunshine2 and when  
the paper grew dark1 the whole was      
carried into the  shade1 and the objects
 being removed from off the paper1 were 
found to  have left their images very   
perfectly and beautifully impressed or  
delineated upon it4    ,but when the    
sensitive paper was placed in the focus 
of a ,camera ,obscura  and directed to  
any object1 as a building for instance1 
during a moderate  space of time1 as an 
hour or two1 the effect produced upon   
the paper was  not strong enough to     
exhibit such a satisfactory picture of  
the building  as had been hoped for4    
,the outline of the roof and of the     
chimneys1 c4  against the sky was marked

 enough2 but the details of the         
architecture  were feeble1 and the parts
 in shade were left either blank or     
nearly so4  ,the sensitiveness of the   
paper to light1 considerable as it      
seemed in some  respects1 was therefore1
 as yet1 evidently insufficient for the 
purpose of  obtaining pictures with the 
,camera ,obscura2 and the course of     
experiments  had to be again renewed in 
hopes of attaining to some more         
important  result4    ,the next interval
 of sufficient leisure which ,i found   
for the prosecution  of this inquiry1   
was during a residence at ,geneva in the
 autumn of #ahcd4  ,the experiments of  
the previous spring were then repeated  
and varied in  many ways2 and having    
been struck with a remark of ,sir ,h4   
,davy's which ,i  had casually met      
with--that the iodide of silver was more
 sensitive to  light than the chloride1 
,i resolved to make trial of the iodide4
  ,great  was my surprise on making the 
experiment to find just the contrary of 

the  fact alleged1 and to see that the  
iodide was not only less sensitive than 
the chloride1 but that it was not       
sensitive at all to light2 indeed that  
it was absolutely insensible to the     
strongest sunshine3 retaining its       
original tint 7a pale straw colour7 for 
any length of time unaltered in  the    
sun4  ,this fact showed me how little   
dependance was to be placed on  the     
statements of chemical writers in regard
 to this particular subject1  and how   
necessary it was to trust to nothing but
 actual experiment3 for  although there 
could be no doubt that ,davy had        
observed what he described  under       
certain circumstances--yet it was clear 
also1 that what he had  observed was    
some exception to the rule1 and not the 
rule itself4  ,in  fact1 further inquiry
 showed me that ,davy must have observed
 a sort of  subiodide in which the      
iodine was deficient as compared with   
the silver3  for1 as in the case of the 
chloride and subchloride the former is  

much  less sensitive1 so between the    
iodide and subiodide there is a similar 
contrast1 but it is a much more marked  
and complete one4    ,however1 the fact 
now discovered1 proved of immediate     
utility2 for1 the  iodide of silver     
being found to be insensible to light1  
and the chloride  being easily converted
 into the iodide by immersion in iodide 
of  potassium1 it followed that a       
picture made with the chloride could be 
fixed by dipping it into a bath of the  
alkaline iodide4    ,this process of    
fixation was a simple one1 and it was   
sometimes very  successful4  ,the       
disadvantages to which it was liable did
 not manifest  themselves until a later 
period1 and arose from a new and        
unexpected  cause1 namely1 that when a  
picture is so treated1 although it is   
permanently secured against the         
darkening effect of the solar rays1 yet 
it is exposed to a contrary or whitening
 effect from them2 so that after  the   
lapse of some days the dark parts of the

 picture begin to fade1 and  gradually  
the whole picture becomes obliterated1  
and is reduced to the  appearance of a  
uniform pale yellow sheet of paper4     
,a good many pictures1 no doubt1 escape 
this fate1 but as they all seem  liable 
to it1 the fixing process by iodine must
 be considered as not  sufficiently     
certain to be retained in use as a      
photographic process1  except when      
employed with several careful           
precautions which it would be  too long 
to speak of in this place4    ,during   
the brilliant summer of #ahce in        
,england ,i made new attempts to  obtain
 pictures of buildings with the ,camera 
,obscura2 and having devised a  process 
which gave additional sensibility to the
 paper1 viz4 by giving it  repeated     
alternate washes of salt and silver1 and
 using it in a moist  state1 ,i         
succeeded in reducing the time necessary
 for obtaining an image  with the       
,camera ,obscura on a bright day to ten 
minutes4  ,but these  pictures1 though  

very pretty1 were very small1 being     
quite miniatures4  ,some were obtained  
of a larger size1 but they required much
 patience1 nor  did they seem so perfect
 as the smaller ones1 for it was        
difficult to keep  the instrument steady
 for a great length of time pointing at 
the same  object1 and the paper being   
used moist was often acted on           
irregularly4    ,during the three       
following years not much was added to   
previous knowledge4  ,want of sufficient
 leisure for experiments was a great    
obstacle and  hindrance1 and ,i almost  
resolved to publish some account of the 
,art in the  imperfect state in which it
 then was4    ,however curious the      
results which ,i had met with1 yet ,i   
felt convinced  that much more important
 things must remain behind1 and that the
 clue was  still wanting to this        
labyrinth of facts4  ,but as there      
seemed no  immediate prospect of further
 success1 ,i thought of drawing up a    
short  account of what had been done1   

and presenting it to the ,royal         
,society4    ,however1 at the close of  
the year #ahch1 ,i discovered a         
remarkable fact of  quite a new kind4   
,having spread a piece of silver leaf on
 a pane of glass1  and thrown a particle
 of iodine upon it1 ,i observed that    
coloured rings  formed themselves around
 the central particle1 especially if the
 glass was  slightly warmed4  ,the      
coloured rings ,i had no difficulty in  
attributing to  the formation of        
infinitely thin layers or strata of     
iodide of silver2 but  a most unexpected
 phenomenon occurred when the silver    
plate was brought  into the light by    
placing it near a window4  ,for then the
 coloured rings  shortly began to change
 their colours1 and assumed other and   
quite unusual  tints1 such as are never 
seen in the 8colours of thin plates40   
,for  instance1 the part of the silver  
plate which at first shone with a pale  
yellow colour1 was changed to a dark    
olive green when brought into the       

daylight4  ,this change was not very    
rapid3 it was much less rapid than the  
changes of some of the sensitive papers 
which ,i had been in the habit of       
employing1 and therefore1 after having  
admired the beauty of this new          
phenomenon1 ,i laid the specimens by1   
for a time1 to see whether they would   
preserve the same appearance1 or would  
undergo any further alteration4    ,such
 was the progress which ,i had made in  
this inquiry at the close of the  year  
#ahch1 when an event occurred in the    
scientific world1 which in some  degree 
frustrated the hope with which ,i had   
pursued1 during nearly five  years1 this
 long and complicated1 but interesting  
series of  experiments--the hope1       
namely1 of being the first to announce  
to the world  the existence of the ,new 
,art--which has been since named        
,photography4    ,i allude1 of course1  
to the publication in the mouth of      
,january #ahci1 of  the great discovery 
of ,m4 ,daguerre1 of the photographic   

process which he  has called the        
,daguerreotype4  ,i need not speak of   
the sensation created  in all parts of  
the world by the first announcement of  
this splendid  discovery1 or rather1 of 
the fact of its having been made1 7for  
the actual  method made use of was kept 
secret for many months longer74  ,this  
great  and sudden celebrity was due to  
two causes3 first1 to the beauty of the 
discovery itself3 secondly1 to the zeal 
and enthusiasm of ,arago1 whose         
eloquence1 animated by private          
friendship1 delighted in extolling the  
inventor of this new art1 sometimes to  
the assembled science of the ,french    
,academy1 at other times to the less    
scientific judgment1 but not less  eager
 patriotism1 of the ,chamber of         
,deputies4    ,but1 having brought this 
brief notice of the early days of the   
,photographic ,art to the important     
epoch of the announcement of the        
,daguerreotype1 ,i shall defer the      
subsequent history of the ,art to a     

future  number of this work4            
,some time previously to the period of  
which ,i have now been speaking1 ,i  met
 with an account of some researches on  
the action of ,light1 by ,wedgwood  and 
,sir ,h4 ,davy1 which1 until then1 ,i   
had never heard of4  ,their short       
memoir on this subject was published in 
#ahjb in the first volume of the        
,journal of the ,royal ,institution4    
,it is curious and interesting1 and     
certainly establishes their claim as the
 first inventors of the  ,photographic  
,art1 though the actual progress they   
made in it was small4  ,they succeeded1 
indeed1 in obtaining impressions from   
solar light of flat  objects laid upon a
 sheet of prepared paper1 but they say  
that they found  it impossible to fix or
 preserve those pictures3 all their     
numerous  attempts to do so having      
failed4    ,and with respect to the     
principal branch of the ,art1 viz4 the  
taking  pictures of distant objects with
 a ,camera ,obscura1 they attempted to  

do  so1 but obtained no result at all1  
however long the experiment lasted4     
,while therefore due praise should be   
awarded to them for making the  attempt1
 they have no claim to the actual       
discovery of any process by  which such 
a picture can really be obtained4    ,it
 is remarkable that the failure in this 
respect appeared so complete1  that the 
subject was soon after abandoned both by
 themselves and others1  and as far as  
we can find1 it was never resumed again4
  ,the thing fell  into entire oblivion 
for more than thirty years3 and         
therefore1 though the  ,daguerreotype   
was not so entirely new a conception as 
,m4 ,daguerre and the  ,french          
,institute imagined1 and though my own  
labours had been still more  directly   
anticipated by ,wedgwood1 yet the       
improvements were so great in  all      
respects1 that ,i think the year #ahci  
may fairly be considered as the  real   
date of birth of the ,photographic ,art1
 that is to say1 its first  public      

disclosure to the world4                
,there is a point to which ,i wish to   
advert1 which respects the execution  of
 the following specimens4 ,as far as    
respects the design1 the copies are     
almost facsimiles of each other1 but    
there is some variety in the tint  which
 they present4  ,this arises from a     
twofold cause4 ,in the first place1     
each picture is separately formed by the
 light of the sun1 and in our  climate  
the strength of the sun's rays is       
exceedingly variable even in  serene    
weather4  ,when clouds intervene1 a     
longer time is of course allowed  for   
the impression of a picture1 but it is  
not possible to reduce this to  a matter
 of strict and accurate calculation4    
,the other cause is the variable quality
 of the paper employed1 even when       
furnished by the same                   
manufacturers--some differences in the  
fabrication  and in the sizing of the   
paper1 known only to themselves1 and    
perhaps  secrets of the trade1 have a   

considerable influence on the tone of   
colour  which the picture ultimately    
assumes4    ,these tints1 however1 might
 undoubtedly be brought nearer to       
uniformity1  if any great advantage     
appeared likely to result3 but1 several 
persons of  taste having been consulted 
on the point1 viz4 which tint on the    
whole  deserved a preference1 it was    
found that their opinions offered       
nothing  approaching to unanimity1 and  
therefore1 as the process presents us   
spontaneously with a variety of shades  
of colour1 it was thought best to  admit
 whichever appeared pleasing to the eye1
 without aiming at an  uniformity which 
is hardly attainable4  ,and with these  
brief observations  ,i commend the      
pictures to the indulgence of the       
,gentle ,reader4                        
,,plate ,i4 ,,part ,,of ,,queen',s      
,,college1 ,,oxford4                    
,,plate ,i4 ,,part ,,of ,,queen',s      
,,college1 ,,oxford4      ,,plate ,i4   
,,part ,,of ,,queen',s ,,college1       

,,oxford4      ,this building presents  
on its surface the most evident marks of
 the  injuries of time and weather1 in  
the abraded state of the stone1 which   
probably was of a bad quality           
originally4    ,the view is taken from  
the other side of the ,high             
,street--looking ,north4  ,the time is  
morning4    ,in the distance is seen at 
the end of a narrow street the ,church  
of ,st4  ,peter's in the ,east1 said to 
be the most ancient church in ,oxford1  
and  built during the ,saxon era4  ,this
 street1 shortly after passing the      
church1 turns to the left1 and leads to 
,new ,college4                          
,,plate ,,ii4 ,,view ,,of ,,the         
,,boulevards ,,at ,,paris4              
,,plate ,,ii4 ,,view ,,of ,,the         
,,boulevards ,,at ,,paris4      ,,plate 
,,ii4 ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,boulevards    
,,at ,,paris4      ,this view was taken 
from one of the upper windows of the    
,hotel de ,douvres1  situated at the    
corner of the ,rue de la ,paix4  ,the   

spectator is looking to  the            
,north-east4  ,the time is the          
afternoon4  ,the sun is just quitting   
the  range of buildings adorned with    
columns3 its faade is already in the    
shade1 but a single shutter standing    
open projects far enough forward to     
catch a gleam of sunshine4  ,the weather
 is hot and dusty1 and they have  just  
been watering the road1 which has       
produced two broad bands of shade  upon 
it1 which unite in the foreground1      
because1 the road being partially  under
 repair 7as is seen from the two        
wheelbarrows1 c4 c471 the watering      
machines have been compelled to cross to
 the other side4    ,by the roadside a  
row of cittadines and cabriolets are    
waiting1 and a  single carriage stands  
in the distance a long way to the right4
    ,a whole forest of chimneys borders 
the horizon3 for1 the instrument        
chronicles whatever it sees1 and        
certainly would delineate a chimney-pot 
or a chimney-sweeper with the same      

impartiality as it would the ,apollo of 
,belvedere4    ,the view is taken from a
 considerable height1 as appears easily 
by  observing the house on the right    
hand2 the eye being necessarily on a    
level with that part of the building on 
which the horizontal lines or  courses  
of stone appear parallel to the margin  
of the picture4                         
,,plate ,,iii4 ,,articles ,,of ,,china4 
,,plate ,,iii4 ,,articles ,,of ,,china4 
,,plate ,,iii4 ,,articles ,,of ,,china4 
,from the specimen here given it is     
sufficiently manifest1 that the whole   
cabinet of a ,virtuoso and collector of 
old ,china might be depicted on  paper  
in little more time than it would take  
him to make a written  inventory        
describing it in the usual way4  ,the   
more strange and fantastic  the forms of
 his old teapots1 the more advantage in 
having their pictures  given instead of 
their descriptions4    ,and should a    
thief afterwards purloin the            
treasures--if the mute testimony  of the

 picture were to be produced against him
 in court--it would certainly  be       
evidence of a novel kind2 but what the  
judge and jury might say to it1  is a   
matter which ,i leave to the speculation
 of those who possess legal  acumen4    
,the articles represented on this plate 
are numerous3 but1 however numerous  the
 objects--however complicated the       
arrangement--the ,camera depicts them   
all at once4  ,it may be said to make a 
picture of whatever it sees4  ,the      
object glass is the eye of the          
instrument--the sensitive paper may be  
compared to the retina4  ,and1 the eye  
should not have too large a  pupil3 that
 is to say1 the glass should be         
diminished by placing a  screen or      
diaphragm before it1 having a small     
circular hole1 through which  alone the 
rays of light may pass4 ,when the eye of
 the instrument is made  to look at the 
objects through this contracted         
aperture1 the resulting  image is much  
more sharp and correct4  ,but it takes a

 longer time to  impress itself upon the
 paper1 because1 in proportion as the   
aperture is  contracted1 fewer rays     
enter the instrument from the           
surrounding objects1  and consequently  
fewer fall upon each part of the paper4 
,,plate ,,iv4  ,,articles ,,of ,,glass4 
,,plate ,,iv4  ,,articles ,,of ,,glass4 
,,plate ,,iv4  ,,articles ,,of ,,glass4 
,the photogenic images of glass articles
 impress the sensitive paper with a     
very peculiar touch1 which is quite     
different from that of the ,china in    
,plate ,,iii4  ,and it may be remarked  
that white china and glass do not       
succeed well when represented together1 
because the picture of the china1  from 
its superior brightness1 is completed   
before that of the glass is  well begun4
 ,but coloured china may be introduced  
along with glass in the  same picture1  
provided the colour is not a pure blue3 
since blue objects  affect the sensitive
 paper almost as rapidly as white ones  
do4  ,on the  contrary1 green rays act  

very feebly--an inconvenient            
circumstance1  whenever green trees are 
to be represented in the same picture   
with  buildings of a light hue1 or with 
any other light coloured objects4       
,,plate ,v4  ,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4   
,,plate ,v4  ,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4   
,,plate ,v4  ,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4   
,statues1 busts1 and other specimens of 
sculpture1 are generally well           
represented by the ,photographic ,art2  
and also very rapidly1 in consequence   
of their whiteness4    ,these           
delineations are susceptible of an      
almost unlimited variety3 since  in the 
first place1 a statue may be placed in  
any position with regard to  the sun1   
either directly opposite to it1 or at   
any angle3 the directness  or obliquity 
of the illumination causing of course an
 immense difference  in the effect4     
,and when a choice has been made of the 
direction in which  the sun's rays shall
 fall1 the statue may be then turned    
round on its  pedestal1 which produces a

 second set of variations no less       
considerable  than the first4  ,and when
 to this is added the change of size    
which is  produced in the image by      
bringing the ,camera ,obscura nearer to 
the statue  or removing it further off1 
it becomes evident how very great a     
number of  different effects may be     
obtained from a single specimen of      
sculpture4    ,with regard to many      
statues1 however1 a better effect is    
obtained by  delineating them in cloudy 
weather than in sunshine4  ,for1 the    
sunshine  causes such strong shadows as 
sometimes to confuse the subject4  ,to  
prevent this1 it is a good plan to hold 
a white cloth on one side of the  statue
 at a little distance to reflect back   
the sun's rays and cause a  faint       
illumination of the parts which would   
otherwise be lost in shadow4            
,,plate ,,vi4  ,,the ,,open ,,door4     
,,plate ,,vi4  ,,the ,,open ,,door4     
,,plate ,,vi4  ,,the ,,open ,,door4     
,the chief object of the present work is

 to place on record some of the  early  
beginnings of a new art1 before the     
period1 which we trust is  approaching1 
of its being brought to maturity by the 
aid of ,british  talent4    ,this is one
 of the trifling efforts of its infancy1
 which some partial  friends have been  
kind enough to commend4    ,we have     
sufficient authority in the ,dutch      
school of art1 for taking as  subjects  
of representation scenes of daily and   
familiar occurrence4  ,a  painter's eye 
will often be arrested where ordinary   
people see nothing  remarkable4  ,a     
casual gleam of sunshine1 or a shadow   
thrown across his  path1 a time-withered
 oak1 or a moss-covered stone may awaken
 a train of  thoughts and feelings1 and 
picturesque imaginings4                 
,,plate ,,vii4  ,,leaf ,,of ,a ,,plant4 
,,plate ,,vii4  ,,leaf ,,of ,a ,,plant4 
,,plate ,,vii4  ,,leaf ,,of ,a ,,plant4 
,hitherto we have presented to the      
reader the representations of distant   
objects1 obtained by the use of a       

,camera ,obscura4  ,but the present     
plate  represents an object of its      
natural size4  ,and this is effected by 
quite a  different and much simpler     
process1 as follows4    ,a leaf of a    
plant1 or any similar object which is   
thin and delicate1 is  laid flat upon a 
sheet of prepared paper which is        
moderately sensitive4  ,it is then      
covered with a glass1 which is pressed  
down tight upon it by  means of screws4 
,this done1 it is placed in the sunshine
 for a few minutes1 until the  exposed  
parts of the paper have turned dark     
brown or nearly black4  ,it is  then    
removed into a shady place1 and when the
 leaf is taken up1 it is  found to have 
left its impression or picture on the   
paper4  ,this image is  of a pale brown 
tint if the leaf is semi-transparent1 or
 it is quite white  if the leaf is      
opaque4    ,the leaves of plants thus   
represented in white upon a dark        
background1  make very pleasing         
pictures1 and ,i shall probably         

introduce a few  specimens of them in   
the sequel of this work3 but the present
 plate shews  one pictured in the       
contrary manner1 viz4 dark upon a white 
ground3 or1  speaking in the language of
 photography1 it is a positive and not a
  negative image of it4  ,the change is 
accomplished by simply repeating  the   
first process4  ,for1 that process1 as  
above described1 gives a white  image on
 a darkened sheet of paper3 this sheet  
is then taken and washed  with a fixing 
liquid to destroy the sensibility of the
 paper and fix the  image on it4        
,this done1 the paper is dried1 and then
 it is laid upon a second sheet of      
sensitive paper1 being pressed into     
close contact with it1 and placed in    
the sunshine3 this second process is    
evidently only a repetition of the      
first4  ,when1 finished1 the second     
paper is found to have received an      
image of a contrary kind to the first2  
the ground being white1 and the  image  
upon it dark4                           

,,plate ,,viii4  ,a ,,scene ,,in ,a     
,,library4                              
,,plate ,,viii4  ,a ,,scene ,,in ,a     
,,library4      ,,plate ,,viii4  ,a     
,,scene ,,in ,a ,,library4      ,among  
the many novel ideas which the discovery
 of ,photography has  suggested1 is the 
following rather curious experiment or  
speculation4  ,i  have never tried it1  
indeed1 nor am ,i aware that any one    
else has either  tried or proposed it1  
yet ,i think it is one which1 if        
properly managed1  must inevitably      
succeed4    ,when a ray of solar light  
is refracted by a prism and thrown upon 
a  screen1 it forms there the very      
beautiful coloured band known by the    
name  of the solar spectrum4            
,experimenters have found that if this  
spectrum is thrown upon a sheet of      
sensitive paper1 the violet end of it   
produces the principal effect3 and1     
what is truly remarkable1 a similar     
effect is produced by certain  invisible
 rays which lie beyond the violet1 and  

beyond the limits of the  spectrum1 and 
whose existence is only revealed to us  
by this action which  they exert4       
,now1 ,i would propose to separate these
 invisible rays from the rest1 by       
suffering them to pass into an adjoining
 apartment through an aperture in  a    
wall or screen of partition4  ,this     
apartment would thus become filled  7we 
must not call it illuminated7 with      
invisible rays1 which might be          
scattered in all directions by a convex 
lens placed behind the aperture4  ,if   
there were a number of persons in the   
room1 no one would see the other3  and  
yet nevertheless if a camera were so    
placed as to point in the  direction in 
which any one were standing1 it would   
take his portrait1 and  reveal his      
actions4    ,for1 to use a metaphor we  
have already employed1 the eye of the   
camera  would see plainly where the     
human eye would find nothing but        
darkness4    ,alas6 that this           
speculation is somewhat too refined to  

be introduced with  effect into a modern
 novel or romance2 for what a dnouement 
we should  have1 if we could suppose the
 secrets of the darkened chamber to be  
revealed by the testimony of the        
imprinted paper4                        
,,plate ,,ix4 ,,fac-,,simile ,,of ,,an  
,,old ,,printed ,,page4                 
,,plate ,,ix4 ,,fac-,,simile ,,of ,,an  
,,old ,,printed ,,page4      ,,plate    
,,ix4 ,,fac-,,simile ,,of ,,an ,,old    
,,printed ,,page4      ,taken from a    
black-letter volume in the ,author's    
library1 containing the  statutes of    
,richard the ,second1 written in ,norman
 ,french4  ,to the  ,antiquarian this   
application of the photographic art     
seems destined to be  of great          
advantage4    ,copied of the size of the
 original1 by the method of             
superposition4                          
,,plate ,x4 ,,the ,,haystack4           
,,plate ,x4 ,,the ,,haystack4           
,,plate ,x4 ,,the ,,haystack4      ,one 
advantage of the discovery of the       

,photographic ,art will be1 that it     
will enable us to introduce into our    
pictures a multitude of minute  details 
which add to the truth and reality of   
the representation1 but  which no artist
 would take the trouble to copy         
faithfully from nature4    ,contenting  
himself with a general effect1 he would 
probably deem it  beneath his genius to 
copy every accident of light and shade2 
nor could he  do so indeed1 without a   
disproportionate expenditure of time and
 trouble1  which might be otherwise much
 better employed4    ,nevertheless1 it  
is well to have the means at our        
disposal of introducing  these minuti   
without any additional trouble1 for they
 will sometimes be  found to give an air
 of variety beyond expectation to the   
scene  represented4                     
,,plate ,,xi4 ,,copy ,,of ,a            
,,lithographic ,,print4                 
,,plate ,,xi4 ,,copy ,,of ,a            
,,lithographic ,,print4      ,,plate    
,,xi4 ,,copy ,,of ,a ,,lithographic     

,,print4      ,we have here the copy of 
a ,parisian caricature1 which is        
probably well  known to many of my      
readers4 ,all kinds of engravings may be
 copied by  photographic means2 and this
 application of the art is a very       
important  one1 not only as producing in
 general nearly fac-simile copies1 but  
because it enables us at pleasure to    
alter the scale1 and to make the  copies
 as much larger or smaller than the     
originals as we may desire4    ,the old 
method of altering the size of a design 
by means of a pantagraph  or some       
similar contrivance1 was very tedious1  
and must have required the  instrument  
to be well constructed and kept in very 
excellent order3  whereas the           
photographic copies become larger or    
smaller1 merely by  placing the         
originals nearer to or farther from the 
,camera4    ,the present plate is an    
example of this useful application of   
the art1  being a copy greatly          
diminished in size1 yet preserving all  

the  proportions of the original4       
,,plate ,,xii4 ,,the ,,bridge ,,of      
,,orleans4                              
,,plate ,,xii4 ,,the ,,bridge ,,of      
,,orleans4      ,,plate ,,xii4 ,,the    
,,bridge ,,of ,,orleans4      ,this view
 is taken from the southern bank of the 
river ,loire1 which passes  ,orleans in 
a noble stream4    ,a city rich in      
historical recollections1 but at present
 chiefly  interesting from its fine     
,cathedral2 of which ,i hope to give a  
representation in a subsequent plate of 
this work4                     ,,plate  
,,xiii4 ,,queen',s ,,college1 ,,oxford1 
,entrance ,gateway              ,,plate 
,,xiii4 ,,queen',s ,,college1 ,,oxford1 
,entrance ,gateway      ,,plate ,,xiii4 
,,queen',s ,,college1 ,,oxford4         
,,entrance ,,gateway4      ,in the first
 plate of this work ,i have represented 
an angle of this  building4  ,here we   
have a view of the ,gateway and central 
portion of the  ,college4  ,it was taken
 from a window on the opposite side of  

the ,high  ,street4  ,in examining      
photographic pictures of a certain      
degree of  perfection1 the use of a     
large lens is recommended1 such as      
elderly  persons frequently employ in   
reading4 ,this magnifies the objects two
 or  three times1 and often discloses a 
multitude of minute details1 which were 
previously unobserved and unsuspected4  
,it frequently happens1  moreover--and  
this is one of the charms of            
photography--that the operator  himself 
discovers on examination1 perhaps long  
afterwards1 that he has  depicted many  
things he had no notion of at the time4 
,sometimes  inscriptions and dates are  
found upon the buildings1 or printed    
placards  most irrelevant1 are          
discovered upon their walls3 sometimes a
 distant  dial-plate is seen1 and upon  
it--unconsciously recorded--the hour of 
the day  at which the view was taken4   
,,plate ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,ladder4          
,,plate ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,ladder4          
,,plate ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,ladder4          

,portraits of living persons and groups 
of figures form one of the most         
attractive subjects of photography1 and 
,i hope to present some of them to  the 
,reader in the progress of the present  
work4    ,when the sun shines1 small    
portraits can be obtained by my process 
in one  or two seconds1 but large       
portraits require a somewhat longer     
time4  ,when  the weather is dark and   
cloudy1 a corresponding allowance is    
necessary1  and a greater demand is made
 upon the patience of the sitter4       
,groups of  figures take no longer time 
to obtain than single figures would     
require1  since the ,camera depicts them
 all at once1 however numerous they may 
be3  but at present we cannot well      
succeed in this branch of the art       
without  some previous concert and      
arrangement4  ,if we proceed to the     
,city1 and  attempt to take a picture of
 the moving multitude1 we fail1 for in a
 small  fraction of a second they change
 their positions so much1 as to destroy 

the distinctness of the representation4 
,but when a group of persons has  been  
artistically arranged1 and trained by a 
little practice to maintain  an absolute
 immobility for a few seconds of time1  
very delightful pictures  are easily    
obtained4  ,i have observed that family 
groups are especial  favourites3 and the
 same five or six individuals may be    
combined in so  many varying attitudes1 
as to give much interest and a great air
 of  reality to a series of such        
pictures4  ,what would not be the value 
to our  ,english ,nobility of such a    
record of their ancestors who lived a   
century  ago8  ,on how small a portion  
of their family picture galleries can   
they  really rely with confidence6      
,,plate ,,xv4 ,,lacock ,,abbey ,,in     
,,wiltshire4                            
,,plate ,,xv4 ,,lacock ,,abbey ,,in     
,,wiltshire4      ,,plate ,,xv4 ,,lacock
 ,,abbey ,,in ,,wiltshire4      ,one of 
a series of views representing the      
,author's country seat in  ,wiltshire4  

,it is a religious structure of great   
antiquity1 erected early  in the        
thirteenth century1 many parts of which 
are still remaining in  excellent       
preservation4  ,this plate gives a      
distant view of the ,abbey1  which is   
seen reflected in the waters of the     
river ,avon4  ,the spectator is  looking
 to the ,north ,west4    ,the tower     
which occupies the ,south-eastern comer 
of the huilding is  believed to be of   
,queen ,elizabeth's time1 but the lower 
portion of it is  much older1 and coeval
 with the first foundation of the abbey4
                                        
,in my first account of 8,the ,art of   
,photogenic ,drawing10 read to the      
,royal  ,society in ,january1 #ahci1 ,i 
mentioned this building as being the    
first  8that was ever yet known to have 
drawn its own picture40    ,it was in   
the summer of #ahce that these curious  
self-representations were  first        
obtained4  ,their size was very small3  
indeed1 they were but  miniatures1      

though very distinct3 and the shortest  
time of making them was  nine or ten    
minutes4                                
,,plate ,,xvi4 ,,cloisters ,,of ,,lacock
 ,,abbey4                      ,,plate  
,,xvi4 ,,cloisters ,,of ,,lacock        
,,abbey4      ,,plate ,,xvi4 ,,cloisters
 ,,of ,,lacock ,,abbey4      ,the ,abbey
 was founded by ,ela1 ,countess of      
,salisbury1 widow of ,william           
,longspee1 son of ,king ,henry ,,ii4 and
 ,fair ,rosamond4    ,this event took   
place in the year of our ,lord #abbi1 in
 the reign of ,henry  ,,iii4  ,she was  
elected to be the first abbess1 and     
ruled for many years  with prudence and 
piety4  ,she lies buried in the         
cloisters1 and this  inscription is read
 upon her tomb3    ,infr sunt defossa   
,el venerabilis ossa1  ,qu dedit has    
sedes sacras monialibus des1  ,abbatissa
 quidem qu sanct vixit ibidem1  ,et     
comitissa ,sarum virtutum plena bonarum3
    ,the cloisters1 however1 in their   
present state1 are believed to be of the

  time of ,henry ,,vi4  ,they range     
round three sides of a quadrangle1 and  
are  the most perfect which remain in   
any private residence in ,england4  ,by 
moonlight1 especially1 their effect is  
very picturesque and solemn4    ,here1  
,i presume1 the holy sisterhood often   
paced in silent meditation2  though1 in 
truth1 they have left but few records to
 posterity to tell us  how they lived   
and died4  ,the 8liber de ,lacock0 is   
supposed to have  perished in the fire  
of the ,cottonian library4  ,what it    
contained ,i know  not--perhaps their   
private memoirs4  ,some things1 however1
 have been  preserved by tradition1 or  
discovered by the zeal of antiquaries1  
and from  these materials the poet      
,bowles has composed an interesting     
work1 the  ,history of ,lacock ,abbey1  
which he published in #ahce4            
,,plate ,,xvii4 ,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4
                          ,,plate       
,,xvii4 ,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4        
,,plate ,,xvii4 ,,bust ,,of ,,patroclus4

      ,another view of the bust which   
figures in the fifth plate of this work4
    ,is has often been said1 and has    
grown into a proverb1 that there is no  
royal road to learning of any kind4     
,but the proverb is fallacious3 for     
there is1 assuredly1 a royal road to    
,drawing1 and one of these days1  when  
more known and better explored1 it will 
probably be much frequented4  ,already  
sundry amateurs have laid down the      
pencil and armed  themselves  with      
chemical solutions and with camera      
obscur4  ,those amateurs  especially1   
and they are not few1 who find the rules
 of perspective  difficult to learn and 
to apply--and who moreover have the     
misfortune to be  lazy--prefer to use a 
method which dispenses with all that    
trouble4  ,and  even accomplished       
artists now avail themselves of an      
invention which  delineates in a few    
moments the almost endless details of   
,gothic  architecture which a whole day 
would hardly suffice to draw correctly  

in  the ordinary manner4                
,,plate ,,xviii4 ,,gate ,,of            
,,christchurch4                         
,,plate ,,xviii4 ,,gate ,,of            
,,christchurch4      ,,plate ,,xviii4   
,,gate ,,of ,,christchurch4      ,the   
principal gate of ,christchurch ,college
 in the ,university of ,oxford4    ,on  
the right of the picture are seen the   
buildings of ,pembroke ,college in      
shade4    ,those who have visited       
,oxford and ,cambridge in vacation time 
in the summer  must have been struck    
with the silence and tranquillity which 
pervade  those venerable abodes of      
learning4    ,those ancient courts and  
quadrangles and cloisters look so       
beautiful so  tranquil and so solemn at 
the close of a summer's evening1 that   
the  spectator almost thinks he gazes   
upon a city of former ages1 deserted1   
but  not in ruins3 abandoned by man1 but
 spared by ,time4  ,no other cities in  
,great ,britain awake feelings at all   
similar4  ,in other towns you hear at   

all times the busy hum of passing       
crowds1 intent on traffic or on         
pleasure--but ,oxford in the summer     
season seems the dwelling of the ,genius
  of ,repose4                           
,,plate ,,xix4 ,,the ,,tower ,,of       
,,lacock ,,abbey                        
,,plate ,,xix4 ,,the ,,tower ,,of       
,,lacock ,,abbey      ,,plate ,,xix4    
,,the ,,tower ,,of ,,lacock ,,abbey     
,the upper part of the tower is believed
 to be of ,queen ,elizabeth's time1  but
 the lower part is probably coeval with 
the first foundation of the  abbey1 in  
the reign of ,henry ,,iii4    ,the tower
 contains three apartments1 one in each 
story4  ,in the central  one1 which is  
used as a muniment room1 there is       
preserved an invaluable  curiosity1 an  
original copy of the ,magna ,charta of  
,king ,henry ,,iii4  ,it  appears that a
 copy of this ,great ,charter was sent  
to the sheriffs of all  the counties in 
,england4  ,the illustrious ,ela1       
,countess of ,salisbury1 was  at that   

time sheriff of ,wiltshire 7at least so 
tradition confidently  avers71 and this 
was the copy transmitted to her1 and    
carefully preserved  ever since her days
 in the abbey which she founded about   
four years after  the date of this      
,great ,charter4    ,of the ,magna      
,charta of ,king ,john several copies   
are still extant2 but only  two copies  
are known to exist of the ,charter of   
his successor ,henry ,,iii1  which bears
 date only ten years after that of      
,runnymede4  ,one of these  copies1     
which is preserved in the north of      
,england1 is defaced and wholly         
illegible2 but the copy preserved at    
,lacock ,abbey is perfectly clear and   
legible throughout1 and has a seal of   
green wax appended to it1 inclosed  in a
 small bag of coloured silk1 which six  
centuries have faded4    ,the ,lacock   
copy is therefore the only authority    
from which the text of  this ,great     
,charter can be correctly known2 and    
from this copy it was  printed by       

,blackstone1 as he himself informs us4  
,from the top of the tower there is an  
extensive view1 especially towards  the 
,south1 where the eye ranges as far as  
,alfred's ,tower1 in the park of        
,stour-head1 about twenty-three miles   
distant4    ,from the parapet wall of   
this building1 three centuries ago1     
,olive  ,sherington1 the heiress of     
,lacock1 threw herself into the arms of 
her  lover1 a gallant gentleman of      
,worcestershire1 ,john ,talbot1 a       
kinsman of  the ,earl of ,shrewsbury4   
,he was felled to the earth by the blow1
 and for a  time lay lifeless1 while the
 lady only wounded or broke her finger4 
,upon  this1 ,sir ,henry ,sherington1   
her father1 relented1 and shortly after 
consented to their marriage1 giving as a
 reason 8the step which his  daughter   
had taken40    ,unwritten tradition in  
many families has preserved ancient     
stories which  border on the marvellous1
 and it may have embellished the tale of
 this  lover's leap by an incident      

belonging to another age4 ,for ,i doubt 
the  story of the broken finger1 or at  
least that ,olive was its rightful      
owner4  ,who can tell what tragic scenes
 may not have passed within these walls 
during the thirteenth and fourteenth    
centuries8  ,the spectre of a nun with  
a bleeding finger long haunted the      
precincts of the abbey1 and has been    
seen by many in former times1 though ,i 
believe that her unquiet spirit is  at  
length at rest4  ,and ,i think the tale 
of ,olive has borrowed this  incident   
from that of a frail sister of earlier  
days4                                   
,,plate ,,xx4 ,,lace                    
,,plate ,,xx4 ,,lace      ,,plate ,,xx4 
,,lace      ,as this is the first       
example of a negative image that has    
been  introduced into this work1 it may 
be necessary to explain1 in a few words1
  what is meant by that expression1 and 
wherein the difference consists4    ,the
 ordinary effect of light upon white    
sensitive paper is to blacken  it4  ,if 

therefore any object1 as a leaf for     
instance1 be laid upon the  paper1 this1
 by intercepting the action of the      
light1 preserves the  whiteness of the  
paper beneath it1 and accordingly when  
it is removed  there appears the form or
 shadow of the leaf marked out in white 
upon the  blackened paper2 and since    
shadows are usually dark1 and this is   
the  reverse1 it is called in the       
language of photography a negative      
image4    ,this is exemplified by the   
lace depicted in this plate2 each copy  
of it  being an original or negative    
image3 that is to say1 directly taken   
from  the lace itself4  ,now1 if instead
 of copying the lace we were to copy one
  of these negative images of it1 the   
result would be a positive image of  the
 lace3 that is to say1 the lace would be
 represented black upon a  white ground4
  ,but in this secondary or positive    
image the  representation of the small  
delicate threads which compose the lace 
would  not be quite so sharp and        

distinct1 owing to its not being taken  
directly  from the original4  ,in taking
 views of buildings1 statues1 portraits1
 c4  it is necessary to obtain a        
positive image1 because the negative    
images  of such objects are hardly      
intelligible1 substituting light for    
shade1 and  vice versa4    ,but in      
copying such things as lace or leaves of
 plants1 a negative image  is perfectly 
allowable1 black lace being as familiar 
to the eye as white  lace1 and the      
object being only to exhibit the pattern
 with accuracy4    ,in the commencement 
of the photographic art1 it was a matter
 of great  difficulty to obtain good    
positive images1 because the original or
  negative pictures1 when exposed to the
 sunshine1 speedily grew opaque in      
their interior1 and consequently would  
not yield any positive copies1 or  only 
a very few of them4  ,but1 happily1 this
 difficulty has been long  since        
surmounted1 and the negative or original
 pictures now always remain  transparent

 during the process of copying them4    
,,plate ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,martyrs'         
,,monument                              
,,plate ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,martyrs'         
,,monument      ,,plate ,,xxi4 ,,the    
,,martyrs' ,,monument      ,oxford has  
at length1 after the lapse of three     
centuries1 raised a worthy  monument to 
her martyred bishops1 who died for the  
,protestant cause in  ,queen ,mary's    
reign4    ,and we have endeavoured in   
this plate to represent it worthily4    
,how far  we have succeeded must be left
 to the judgment of the gentle ,reader4 
,the statue seen in the picture is that 
of ,bishop ,latimer4                    
,,plate ,,xxii4 ,,westminster ,,abbey   
,,plate ,,xxii4 ,,westminster ,,abbey   
,,plate ,,xxii4 ,,westminster ,,abbey   
,the stately edifices of the ,british   
,metropolis too frequently assume from  
the influence of our smoky atmosphere   
such a swarthy hue as wholly to         
obliterate the natural appearance of the
 stone of which they are  constructed4  

,this sooty covering destroys all       
harmony of colour1 and  leaves only the 
grandeur of form and proportions4       
,this picture of ,westminster ,abbey is 
an instance of it2 the faqade of the    
building being strongly and somewhat    
capriciously darkened by the            
atmospheric influence4                  
,,plate ,,xxiii4 ,,hagar ,,in ,,the     
,,desert4                        ,,plate
 ,,xxiii4 ,,hagar ,,in ,,the ,,desert4  
,,plate ,,xxiii4 ,,hagar ,,in ,,the     
,,desert4      ,this ,plate is intended 
to show another important application of
 the  photographic art4 ,fac-similes can
 be made from original sketches of the  
old masters1 and thus they may be       
preserved from loss1 and multiplied to  
any extent4    ,this sketch of ,hagar1  
by ,francesco ,mola1 has been selected  
as a specimen4  ,it is taken from a     
fac-simile executed at ,munich4    ,the 
photographic copying process here offers
 no difficulty1 being done of  the      
natural size1 by the method of          

superposition4                          
,,plate ,,xxiv4 ,a ,,fruit ,,piece4     
,,plate ,,xxiv4 ,a ,,fruit ,,piece4     
,,plate ,,xxiv4 ,a ,,fruit ,,piece4     
,the number of copies which can be taken
 from a single original  photographic   
picture1 appears to be almost unlimited1
 provided that every  portion of iodine 
has been removed from the picture before
 the copies are  made4  ,for if any of  
it is left1 the picture will not bear   
repeated  copying1 but gradually fades  
away4  ,this arises from the chemical   
fact1  that solar light and a minute    
portion of iodine1 acting together      
7though  neither of them separately71   
are able to decompose the oxide of      
silver1  and to form a colourless iodide
 of the metal4  ,but supposing this     
accident  to have been guarded against1 
a very great number of copies can be    
obtained in succession1 so long as great
 care is taken of the original  picture4
  ,but being only on paper1 it is       
exposed to various accidents2 and       

should it be casually torn or defaced1  
of course no more copies can be  made4  
,a mischance of this kind having        
occurred to two plates in our  earliest 
number after many copies had been taken 
from them1 it became  necessary to      
replace them by others2 and accordingly 
the ,camera was once  more directed to  
the original objects themselves1 and new
 photographic  pictures obtained from   
them1 as a source of supply for future  
copies4  ,but  the circumstances of     
light and shade and time of day1 c4 not 
altogether  corresponding to what they  
were on a former occasion1 a slightly   
different  but not a worse result       
attended the experiment4 ,from these    
remarks1  however1 the difference which 
exists will be easily accounted for4