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Document number: 4802
Date: 14 Apr 1843
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: FELLOWS Charles
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA43-50
Last updated: 30th September 2010

14 Apl 1843
30 Russell Square

My dear Sir

I am afraid that it is true that much of the responsibility of the intended expedition will fall upon me – It is my intention to take moulders to make casts of the basreliefs & impress paper for copying the inscriptions in order to free myself from any misrepresentations<1> & if I can through your means call the Sun which is ever at command to aid me I shall be most happy to remove all I can to his shoulders – I am ashamed to say that I am almost ignorant of the progress that the Calotype drawings have made under your care – My great objections some years ago to trying the Daguerotypes <2> were the expense of the plates, the extreme care in excluding light & the destruction caused by contact. These were fatal to their use in the rough traveling of Turkey – if I understand rightly the Calotype is free from these objections – I am today leaving town for 10 days but I shall on my return hope to do myself the honour of calling in Sackville St. <3> to gain further information upon this subject as I should if applicable to my purposes much like to take charge of this department myself & at once make myself master of the art of applying it – distant landscape is the most required by me by which I mean also views of inaccessible tombs in the rocks & their unexaggerated effect I shall have with me an architect who will make make measurements of details also one Artist for drawing basreliefs &c. – I propose leaving England for Naples at the end of July and shall join the expedition at Malta on the 1st of October returning in the following May. With many thanks for your kind letter believe me to remain

Yours very truly
Chas Fellows


Notes:

1. Making paper maché and plaster casts was a common means of copying inscriptions.

2. A misspelling of ‘daguerreotype’, which produced unique photographs on sheets of polished silver-plated copper.

3. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.

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