Lacock
8 Février 1843
Chère Mlle
Je vous ai écrit quelques mots hier, faute de temps je n'ai pu continuer.
Voici le projet de M. le Marquis de Bassano <1> tel que je le conçois, si je me trompe pourtant, vous me le direz, en ajoutant les explications necessaires.
Une association se formera à Paris, fournira les fonds necessaires, et se chargera de tout arranger, de tout conduire. C'est fort bien. Je vais continuer en Anglais, puisque les termes de la loi Française ne me sont pas connus, et je pourrais les employer à contresens.
The persons whom I have licensed in England to use the Calotype, have agreed to pay me about 30 per Cent upon all sums which they receive from the public for the sale of the portraits and pictures - Thus, if they sell 100 pictures at one guinea each, they have to may me thirty guineas as patent dues - This is called, a percentage upon the gross receipts. No doubt, it would be more satisfactory to them to pay me a percentage upon their net profits, but unfortunately, by the English law, such an agreement would be equivalent to entering into partnership and therefore it is contrary to all prudence to make any such agreement. Now, if the French law resembles ours, the same difficulty must occur - Partnership, you know, is a most serious business, for one partner is liable for the debts of another. I wish to know therefore, more specifically and clearly, from what source the advantage would arise to us, in the event of the undertaking proving a successful one? Are the Society of Artists (que je pourrai appeller Compagnie Calotype) willing to pay us a certain portion (to be hereafter agreed upon) of all sums received from the Public? and to give the necessary legal securities, l'assurer par acte légale? It would be necessary for me to come to Paris & consult lawyers on the subject, avant de conclure définitivement.
Now, as to another point, the best method of working the Calotype successfully - It would be best done by an Association or Company of Artists (même s'il n'y avait pas de brévet) because it is more than one individual can do, to take many Calotypes, and also many copies of each. When a very fine picture has been obtained, the Artist would perhaps like to have a hundred copies of it, but the time requisite for making the copies would absorb those hours which he would much rather devote to making fresh pictues & visiting fresh scenes. Therefore I advise, that all thecopies should be made at Paris, or in the environs. Women and children might be employed in that department - The Society of course would have Directors, or an Active Committee of Management - Suppose an Artist visited the South of France and brought back 50 beautiful Calotypes - These in their original state, have their lights and shades reversed, and are consequently not to be sold or exhibited to the public in that state. But a practised eye can readily tell by looking at them which will make a good copy and which will not. The copies are (in light & shade) conformable to nature - All the Calotypes I gave you are copies, the originals I keep to make more copies from. The Artist, then, would not trouble himself to make copies, but he would sell the original pictures to the Society, their value being agreed upon according to their perfection & beauty If necessary, one copy might be made of each picture, by way of trial, before purchasing it, but this is not necessary, for a judgment can be formed without doing so. Making the copies is a merely mechanical affair, one good superintendant would be able to direct 20 workmen employed in that department of the manufacture. Car c'est une veritable manufacture. Les échantillons Calotypes que je vous ai envoyés, ne sont pas, à proprement parler, des exemplaires choisis, car on peut s'attendre à obtenir d'aussi bons tableaux que les meilleurs d'entre eux chaque jour de beau temps - Si je n'en ai pas fait davantage, c'est que satisfait d'être arrivé à ce résultat, et il faut bien le dire aussi, un peu fatigué pour le moment d'expériences chimiques et de manipulations mécaniques, j'ai porté mon attention sur d'autres objets. Je me proposais cependant une course en Belgique pour y attraper les magnifiques Hôtels de Ville &c. - On peut faire un tableau en grand format (9 pouces par largeur égale) en 10 secondes. C'est assez vite. Je ne dis pas qu'il faut se borner là, mais en voulant aller au delà, les résultats m'ont paru incertains - Le procédé dont je me sers à présent est assez sûr et commode - Puisque la methode de prendre les copies est toute differente de celle de faire les originaux, si l'artiste veut lui même prendre les premières il aura une double difficulté à vaincre, et non seulement celà, mais il devra transporter par le pays d'autres outils, d'autres apparatus. Aussi lui faudra-t-il faire le papier propre aux copies, en route, ce qui est fort incommode, cette qualité ne se gardant pas en perfection au delà de quelques jours. J'appelle ce papier (p. photogénique ordinaire, ou photographique ordinaire) L'autre espèce, le papier Calotype sert à faire les tableaux originaux seulement:- il se garde pendant un temps indéfini - L'artiste s'en munira donc à Paris pour tout le voyage. Je crois avoir assez expliqué mes raisons pour que les copies se fassent à Paris. - Mais comment instruire tant de jeunes artistes à la fois? Il faudra une espèce d' École Normale de Photographie <2> à Paris, et il faudra que les premiers essais de chaque Calotypiste soient faits aux environs de la ville, jusqu'à ce qu'il sent qu'il peut marcher d'un pas assuré. Les gens ordinaires, ignorant en Chimie, sont tout à fait découragés en voyant que leurs premières tentatives ne réussisent pas; ils ne voyent pas l'obstacle qui les arrête et ne savent pas de quel côté se tourner; tandis que c'est peut être la chose la plus simple du monde - C'est ce que le Directeur de l'Ecole leur montrerait, et alors ils recommençeraient avec meilleure fortune.
En résumé, je crois que les choses proposées par M. le Marquis de Bassano pourraient se réaliser, mais qu'elles exigeraient une grande combinaison de talens et d'énergie -
Pour encourager le génie, chaque artiste, dites vous, signerait son nom en bas des [sic] ses tableaux: c'est bien, mais même sans cela on apprendrait bientot à les distinguer; car je trouve que chaque Calotypiste a une manière qui lui est propre, déja cela se fait sentir ici; bientôt ils différeront comme Raphael et Rubens!
On peut aussi choisir le coloris qu'on veut depuis le rouge jusqu'au noir parfait - Les dessins en crayons rouges peuvent s'imiter ainsi très bien.
Au commencement je serais disposé à donner toutes les instructions nécessaires à un certain nombre d'artistes - Il ne suffirait pas d'instruire un seul, il pourrait se tromper et gâter l'affaire - J'espère qu'on voudra bien me donner les explications necessaires sur la première partie de ma lettre; il me les faut en termes clairs, à ne pas pouvoir se tromper, car je suis peu habitué aux affaires, surtout en France. Si les conditions me paraissent raisonnables je les accepterai. Mais je dois observer, que je ne crois pas qu'on me demande un privilége exclusif. Car si cela était, et si la société, ayant privilège exclusif, venait à se dissoudre, où seraisje alors? et que deviendrait la Calotypie? Je dois donc conserver le droit de le donner à d'autres personnes aussi. Mais c'est un droit dont je ne me servirais [illegible deletion] qu'en cas de nécessité. Mais ma lettre devient trop longue, ainsi adieu -
Toujours à vous
H.F.Talbot
Madlle Amélina Petit
rue de Provence
No 22
Paris
Translation:
Lacock
February 8th 1843
Dear Mademoiselle,
I wrote a few words to you yesterday, through lack of time I was unable to continue.
Here is the Marquis de Bassano's project as I conceive it, however if I am mistaken, you shall tell me, adding the necessary explanations.
An association will be formed in Paris, will supply the necessary funds, and will take it upon itself to arrange everything, to conduct everything. This is very good. I will continue in English, since the legal terms in French are unknown to me, and I could use them in the wrong way.
The persons whom I have licensed in England to use the Calotype, have agreed to pay me about 30 per Cent upon all sums which they receive from the publics for the sale of portraits and pictures - Thus, if they sell 100 pictures at one guinea each, they have to pay me thirty guineas as patent dues - This is called, a percentage upon the gross receipts. No doubt, it would be more satisfactory to them to pay me a percentage upon their net profits, but unfortunately, by the English law, such an agreement would be equivalent to entering into partnership and therefore it is contrary to all prudence to make any such agreement. Now, if the French law resembles ours, the same difficulty must occur - Partnership, you know, is a most serious business, for one partner is liable for the debts of another. I wish to know therefore, more specifically and clearly, from what source the advantage would arise to us, in the event of the undertaking proving a successful one? Are the Society of Artists (which I could call Compagnie Calotype) willing to pay us a certain portion (to be hereafter agreed upon) of all sums received from the Public? And to give the necessary legal securities, to ensure it through a legal act? It would be necessary for me to come to Paris & consult lawyers on the subject, before reaching a definitive conclusion.
Now, as to another point, the best method of working the Calotype successfully - It would be best done by an Association or Company of Artists (even if there were no patent) because it is more than one individual can do, to take many Calotypes and also many copies of each. When a very fine picture has been obtained, the Artist would perhaps like to have a hundred copies of it, but but the time requisite for making the copies would absorb those hours which he would much rather devote to making fresh pictures & visiting fresh scenes. Therefore I advise, that all copies should be made at Paris, or in the environs. Women and children might be employed in that department - The Society of course would have Directors, or an Active Committee of Management - Suppose an Artist visited the South of France and brought back 50 beautiful Calotypes - These in their original state, have their lights and shades reversed, and are consequently not to be sold or exhibited to the public in that state. But a practised eye can readily tell by looking at them which will make a good copy and which will not. The copies are (in light & shade) conformable to nature - All the Calotypes I gave you are copies, the originals I keep to make more copies from. The Artist, then, would not trouble himself to make copies, but he would sell the original pictures to the Society, their value being agreed upon according to their perfection & beauty. If necessary, one copy might be made of each picture, by way of trial, before purchasing it, but this is not necessary, for a judgement can be formed without doing so. Making the copies is merely a mechanical affair, one good superintendant would be able to direct 20 workmen employed in that department of the manufacture. For it is a veritable manufacture. The sample Calotypes I sent you, are not, strictly speaking, selected examples, since one can expect to obtain pictures as good as the best among them any day of good weather - If I have not made more, it is because, satisfied with the result achieved here, and it must also be said, a little weary at the moment of chemical experiments and mechanical manipulations, I have focused my attention on other objects. I nevertheless thought of going to Belgium to capture the magnificent Hôtels de Ville &c. - It is possible to do a large format picture (9 inches square) in 10 seconds. That is quite quick. I do not say that we should limit ourselves to that, but by seeking to go further, the results seemed uncertain to me - The process I use at the moment is quite reliable and convenient - Since the method of making copies is very different from that for making the originals, if the artist himself wishes to make the former, he will have a double difficulty to overcome, and not only that, but he will have to transport through the country other tools, other apparatus. He will also have to make the paper necessary for copies en route which is highly inconvenient, since this type of paper does not remain in perfect condition for more than a few days. I call this paper (ordinary photogenic or ordinary photographic p.). The other kind, calotype paper is only used to make original pictures:- it can be kept for an indefinite period of time - The artist will thus stock up in Paris for his whole journey. I think I have given enough explanation of why the copies should be made in Paris. - But how can so many young artists be instructed at one time? A kind of Ecole Normale de Photographie in Paris would be necessary, and the first attempts of each Calotypist should be made in the environs of the city, until he feels able to proceed with assurance. Ordinary people, ignorant of Chemistry, are utterly discouraged when they see that their first attempts do not succeed; they do not see the obstacle which is hindering them and they do not know which way to turn; and yet it is perhaps the most insignificant thing in the world - That is what the Director of the School would show them, and then they could begin again with better luck.
In summary, I think the Marquis de Bassano's suggestions could be realised, but that they would demand a great combination of talent and energy.-
To encourage their genius, each artist, you say, could sign their name at the foot of their pictures: that is good, but even without that one would quickly learn to distinguish between them; for I find that each Calotypist has a manner which is distinct to him, that can already be felt here; soon they will be as distinct as Raphael and Rubens!
One can also choose the colour one wants from red to perfect black - Red crayon drawings can thus be imitated quite easily .
Initially I would be disposed to give all the necessary instructions to a certain number of artists - It would not suffice to instruct one alone, he could make a mistake and spoil the affair - I hope I will be given the necessary explanations required by the first part of my letter; I need them in clear terms, so that no mistakes can be made, since I am not used to business dealings, especially in France. If the conditions seem reasonable to me, I shall accept them. But I must observe that I do not think I am being asked to give an exclusive right. For if that were the case, and if the partnership, having this exclusive right, were to be dissolved, where would I be then? and what would become of the Calotype? I must therefore retain the right to give it to other people too. However, it is a right which I will only use in cases of necessity. But my letter is becoming far too long, and thus farewell -
Ever yours
H. F. Talbot
Madlle Amélina Petit
rue de Provence
No 22
Paris
Notes:
1. Hugues Antoine Joseph Eugène Maret, Marquis de Bassano (1806-1889), photographic entrepreneur, Paris.
2. A type of training college.