20. Août 1844

To H. Fox Talbot Esqr
Laycock Abbey

Monsieur,

Depuis votre départ nous avons fait des progrès dans le Talbotype, mais le nouveau procédé n’a pas réussi comme l’ancien.^<1> Avec ce dernier, quoiqu’il soit plus long nous avons fait de très beaux specimens. J’ai operé avec le grand appareil objectif de 6. pouces & j’ai obtenu des figures d’une grande netteté & bien définies sur des feuilles de papier de 8½ x 6½.

Je voudrais pouvoir vous en envoyer, mais je crainds [sic] que ces specimens ne se gâtent par la poste.

Si vous devez rester longtemps encore absent de Londres alors je vous en ferai un paquet. Veuillez me fixer sur ce que je dois faire.

Agréer, Monsieur, l’assurance de ma consideration distinguée.
A Claudet

Pour vous donner une idée de la dimension je vous envoie un mauvais négatif. cela vous suffira pour juger de l’effet

T. S. P. –

Je vous envoie aussi plusieurs specimens faits depuis votre départ. Le negatif (Buste de Miss Walter) a été fait par le nouveau procédé & c’est le seul qui ait réussi.^<2> Je joins un positif du même. Le portrait avec l’épée & en habit de consul est celui de Pritchard. ^<3> Il est venu se faire faire au Daguerreotype & nous avons profité de l’occasion pour faire un Talbotype. Le négatif est tres beau & nous avons obtenu de très belles copies. Le Turc est d’après nature & je crois que vous en serez satisfait. J’espère toujours que cela marchera bien mais il faut avoir le temps de nous faire connaître & surtout d’exceller dans la manipulation.

---

Translation:

20 August 1844

To H. Fox Talbot Esqr
Lacock Abbey

Sir,

Since you left, we have made progress with the Talbotype, but the new process was less successful than the last one. Although the latter process takes longer, we have produced very beautiful specimens. I worked with the large objective 6. Inch camera & I have obtained very clear and well defined figures on 8½ x 6½ sheets of paper.

I would like to be able to send you some of them, but I am worried that these specimens may be damaged in the post.

If you have to stay away from London for much longer, I will send them to you in a parcel. Please tell me what I should do.

Please accept, sir, my kindest regards.
A Claudet

In order to give you an idea of the dimension, I am sending you a bad negative. This will be enough for you to judge the effect.

P.T.O –

I am also sending you several specimens which have been made since you left. The negative (Head and shoulder shot of Miss Walter) was made using the new process & it is the only one which was a success. I have enclosed a positive of the same picture. The portrait of the man with a sword & dressed as a consul is of Pritchard. He came to have his picture taken with the Daguerreotype, & we took advantage of the opportunity to make a Talbotype. The negative is very beautiful & we have obtained very good copies. The Turk is from life & I think that you will be satisfied with it. I still hope that it will work well but we must have time to make a name for ourselves & above all to perfect the technique.

---

Notes:

1. Claudet and others hoped to honour the inventor's name with the process, but WHFT modestly preferred his original term of calotype. The 'new process' is outlined in Doc. No: 05039.

2. This is probably related to the calotyped image of a bust of Catherine Walter that Henneman had recently executed as the frontispiece for the privately published Record of the Death Bed of C.M.W. - see Doc. No: 05005.

3. George Pritchard (1796-1883), missionary and diplomat. He was British consul to Tahiti from 1837-1844; when this was taken over by the French, he became consul to Samoa from 1845-1856. One of these portraits was possibly copied in a lithograph issued by George Baxter in 1845, showing the Bay of Tahiti in the background - see Doc. No: 05046.