[draft:]

Bolt.
Feb 16/59

M^r P has writtⁿ to me I h^ve rec^d a l^r from M^r P say^g y^t he wishes for a lic^se und^r my p^t that he is not disp^d to cont^st the m^r furth^rif terms can be agreed upⁿ wishes t term^te the dispute, concern^g his and my pat^s by tak^g a lic^se from me, if terms can be agrd upⁿ
¨C

I have ¡à requested him to call upⁿ you, & if he does so & talk the m^r over. ¡Ù please to Say to him that his invⁿ b^{g in} some respects in rivalry & opposⁿ / my own it is no great obj^t to me to give him a lic^se & that if I do so it is with a view to oblige him as being a man of Sc^ce and ingenuity & moreover a foreigner who has taken up his abode in this c^try & wishes, for an occupaⁿ or prof whom we must all wish to treat w^th courtesy & considⁿ ¨C I shall ¡à propose y^e fll^g terms for a lic^se

1) That M^r P. shall write a l^r to you or to me say^g that altho¡¯ he formerly disclaimed us^g my pat^{t of 52} he is now of opinⁿ that he requires to use it part^lly some portⁿ of it is necessarily employ^d in the Ph. G. G^c process & ¡à he wishes for my lic^se to use it.

2) That It is agreed that the impressions f^m all copperplates made by M^r. P. shall be printed by a copperplate printer designat^d by myself to be named by me, & no others be employed

3) The pecun^y considⁿ for the lic^se to be a sum of money payable to me, eq^l in am^t to that wh^ch M^r P. will pay the copperpl printer for tak^g the impr^ns.

By this means the payment will be precisely proport^l to the use wh^ch M^r P. makes will make of the lic^se& will cease whenever he suspends operat^ns.

The lic^se will be to M^r P. ^but not to the Comp^y (w^ch I believe is now defunct) and I unders^td M^r P is prepar^d to purchase their interest, for a trifling sum, & thus vest the patent right in himself.

[expanded version:]

16 February 1859

Bolton

M^r Pretsch ^<1> has written to me I have received a letter from Mr. Pretsch saying that he wishes for a license under my patent ^<2> that he is not disposed to contest the matter further if terms can be agreed upon wishes to terminate the dispute, concerning his and my patents by taking a license from me, if terms can be agreed upon ¨C

I have therefore requested him to call upon you, & if he does so & talk the matter over. Please to say to him that his invention being in some respects in rivalry and opposition to my own it is no great object to me to give him a license & that if I do so it is with a view to oblige him as being a man of Science and ingenuity and moreover a foreigner who has taken up his abode in this country & wishes for an occupation or profession whom we must all wish to treat with courtesy and consideration. I shall therefore propose the following terms for a license

1) That M^r Pretsch shall write a letter to you or to me saying that although he formerly disclaimed using my patent of 1852 ^<3> he is now of opinion that he requires to use it partially some portion of it is necessarily employed in the Photogalvanographic process ^<4> and therefore he wishes for my license to use it.

2) That It is agreed that the impressions from all copperplates made by M^r Pretsch shall be printed by a copperplate printer designated by myself to be named by me, and no others be employed.

3) The pecuniary consideration for the license to be a Sum of money payable to me, equal in amount to that which M^r Pretsch will pay the copperplate printer for taking the impressions.

By this means the payment will be precisely proportional to the use which M^r Pretsch makes will make of the license and will cease whenever he suspends operations.

The license will be to M^r Pretsch but not to the Company ^<5> (which I believe is now defunct) and I understand M^r Pretsch is prepared to purchase their interest, for a trifling sum, and thus vest the patent right in himself.

---

Notes:

1. See Doc. No: 07805.

2. WHFT's patent for Photoglyphic Engraving, Patent No. 875 of 21 April 1858.

3. WHFT had previously patented a method of transferring a photographic image on to an engraving plate: Improvements in the Art of Engraving, Patent No. 565 of 29 October 1852. [For a description of the process, see H. J. P. Arnold, William Henry Fox Talbot: Pioneer of Photography and Man of Science (London: Hutchinson Benham, 1977), pp. 273-274.]

4. Pretsch's process, the first part of which was broadly similar to that of Talbot in that it used gelatine and potassium bichromate, but the second part involved the electrotype process.

5. The Patent Photo-Galvanographic Company (commonly, The Photogalvanographic Company) was based on the work of Paul Pretsch (1808¨C1873), Austrian photographer & inventor and former Manager of the Imperial Printing Establishment in Vienna. Located in Holloway Road, Islington, London, from 1856-1857, Pretsch took over as manager and Roger Fenton (1819¨C1869), photographer & lawyer, was a partner and their chief photographer. Starting in late 1856, they published a serial portfolio, Photographic Art Treasures, or Nature and Art Illustrated by Art and Nature, illustratated with photogalvanographs derived from several photographer's works. Photogalvanography was uncomfortably closely based on elements of WHFT¡¯s patented 1852 Photographic Engraving but, unlike Talbot, the plates were heavily retouched by hand. Compounding the legal objections of Talbot, their former manager, Duncan Campbell Dallas, set up a competing company to produce the Dallastype. The company collapsed and near the end of 1860 Pretsch, out of money, allowed his patent to lapse. A public appeal was launched in 1861 to assist him but he returned to Vienna in 1863 in ill health, going back to the Imperial Printing Establishment, but finally succumbing to cholera.