Group Taking Tea at Lacock Abbey

August 17, 1843

Not on view

Although Talbot’s groundbreaking calotype (paper negative) process allowed for more instantaneous image making, works such as this one nevertheless reflect the technical limitations of early photography. Here, he adapts painterly conventions to the new medium, staging a genre scene on his family estate. The stilted arrangement of figures—rigidly posed to produce a clear image—belies Talbot’s attempt to show action in progress. To achieve sufficient light exposure, he photographed the domestic tableau outdoors, arranging his subjects before a blank backdrop to create the illusion of interior space.

Artwork Details

Title: Group Taking Tea at Lacock Abbey
Artist: William Henry Fox Talbot (British, Dorset 1800–1877 Lacock)
Date: August 17, 1843
Medium: Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions: Mount: 9 15/16 in. × 13 in. (25.3 × 33 cm)
Sheet: 7 3/8 × 8 15/16 in. (18.7 × 22.7 cm)
Image: 5 in. × 7 1/2 in. (12.7 × 19 cm)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Bequest of Maurice B. Sendak, 2012
Object Number: 2013.159.50
Curatorial Department: Photographs

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Sun Pictures in Scotland

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A Fruit Piece, William Henry Fox Talbot British, Salted paper print from paper negative — A Fruit Piece
William Henry Fox Talbot
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Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, William Henry Fox Talbot British, Salted paper print from paper negative — Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire
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before September 1844

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