William Henry Fox TalbotEnglish, 1800–1877Melrose Abbey
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Melrose Abbey” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1960.30.7
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
In the life of William Henry Fox Talbot
The whole life1840s
Photomechanics: the road to photogravure
In the 1840s Talbot turned to the photomechanical reproduction of pictures; this work led to photoglyphic engraving, the precursor of photogravure. Rendering a photograph in printer’s ink made editions cheaper and avoided the fading of early silver prints.
1842
Son born: Charles Henry Talbot
1842 · Award
Rumford Medal
1842
The Rumford Medal for his photographic discoveries
The Royal Society awarded Talbot the Rumford Medal for his photographic discoveries.
1842
Birth of his son Charles Henry
Charles Henry Talbot was born into the Talbot family; with his birth the nursemaid Eliza Frayland joined the household, later captured in the family calotype of 1844.
1844–1846
“The Pencil of Nature”, the first photobook, appears
Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans issued the book in separate parts: 24 prints, each pasted in by hand and accompanied by a short text. Talbot is regarded as the author of the first photographic book; scholars see in it the design of a new canon built on biblical rhetoric.
![[Group of Trees from the American Walnut], William Henry Fox Talbot, June 1, 1840](https://media.getty.edu/iiif/image/e2239044-50e4-44d2-be46-db53cdc317f1/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg)
