Furness Abbey

1822–1872

Half a century of papers for the Royal Society

From 1822 to 1872 Talbot communicated papers to the Royal Society of London, a large share of them on mathematical subjects.

1851

Archer’s collodion process displaces the calotype

In the year of Daguerre’s death Frederick Scott Archer publicised the wet collodion process with a glass negative, which soon replaced the calotype in commercial use. Reading his patent broadly, Talbot declared that collodion users, too, needed his licence.

1852

Dichromated gelatine: the basis of carbon printing

Talbot discovered that gelatine treated with potassium dichromate (a sensitiser introduced by Mungo Ponton in 1839) becomes less soluble on exposure to light. This later gave rise to carbon printing, and dichromated gelatine is still used in laser holography.

August 1852

An open letter in The Times against the patent

Lord Rosse, President of the Royal Society, and Charles Lock Eastlake, President of the Royal Academy, called on Talbot to ease the patent pressure that was stifling photography. Talbot waived the fees for amateurs but went on suing professional portrait photographers.

1854

The case of Talbot v. Laroche

Talbot sought to extend his 14-year patent while the court heard his suit against the photographer Martin Laroche: the jury upheld the patent but found that Laroche, working in collodion, did not infringe it. Disappointed, Talbot chose not to extend the patent.