Sackville St <1>
Oct 8/39
My Dear Sir
These are only to convey some idea of the tone &c. of pictures obtained with an operaglass & reversed afterwards – The time of year was unfavorable (latter part of September) – in summer I expect considerable improvements will be made. If I can attain to the level of common amateur sketching I shall be satisfied, since my present process is very easy & seldom fails. I am sure 50 sheets of paper may be prepared in an hour or two.
I have never yet tried the paper with a really good camera, because such are rarely to be met with in London. Consequently, it is to be hoped that the merits of the paper process are not yet fully developed.
Yours Truly
H. F. Talbot
The patentees (so called) have commenced an action against the Adelaide Gallery. <2>Notes:
1. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT
2. Adelaide Gallery, Strand, London: Gallery of Practical Science; site of Antoine Claudet’s photographic studio. In the Autumn of 1839, a photographer Ste Croix was demonstrating the daguerreotype at the Adelaide Gallery. He was prevented from giving these demonstrations in late September and early October by an injunction brought by the agent Miles Berry, who had taken out a patent for the daguerreotype. [See The Times, 28 September, 2 October and 4 October, 1839].