Copy of a Lithographic Print

Art Historical Context

William Henry Fox Talbot's *Copy of a Lithographic* (before May 1844) is a pioneering salted paper print made from a paper negative, exemplifying the early days of photography at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Talbot, a British inventor and scholar, developed the calotype process in the 1840s, revolutionizing-making by using paper negatives that could produce multiple positive prints—unlike the one-of-a-kind daguerreotypes of the era. This modest yet groundbreaking medium captures fine details with a soft, matte texture, marking a shift from drawing with light ("photogenic drawing") to reproducible photography. The image reproduces a lithographic print featuring expressive faces of men and women conveying anger and sadness, highlighting Talbot's fascination with capturing human emotion through mechanical means. Created just five years after photography's public debut in 1839, it demonstrates his technical ingenuity in translating printed illustrations into photographs, bridging traditional printmaking and the nascent art of the camera. This work underscores photography's cultural leap from novelty to artistic tool, inviting viewers to ponder the raw humanity in these somber expressions. A gift to the Met in 1994, it remains a testament to Talbot's enduring legacy in visual history.

About the Artist

William Henry Fox Talbot · 1800–1877

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–1877), a British polymath whose ingenuity transformed visual representation, was born on 11 February 1800 at Melbury House, Dorset, the only child of William Davenport Talbot of Lacock Abbey and Lady Elisabeth Fox Strangways, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Ilchester. His father died shortly after his birth, leaving the family in financial straits until his formidable mo...