London April 26^th /47

M^r Talbot
Sir/

You will receive the Case containing the pictures left from stock received at the Establishment^<1> also the particulars connected with the affair? ^<2> I must now beg to decline having any more on commission as I find it will not answer my purpose? ^<3>

I am Sir Your Ob^t Ser^t
Owen Bailey

Talbot'ps^<4> Commission

£ s d

10 p^r Cent – 3 ·· 12 ·· 0
Leather Case – . ·· 16 ·· 0
Cab fares to M^r Talbot . ·· 2 ·· 6
Time at Establishment & at M^r Talbots house . ·· 10 ·· 0
_______
£5 ·· 0 ·· 6

Cash Received

£ s d

M^r Roe Cambridge – 2 ·· 4 ·· 6^<5>
– Bailey – 2 ·· 19 ·· 8
__________
£5 ·· 4 ·· 2
Balance Due M^r T £. ·· 3 ·· 8

Orders Received for
Talbotypes – by O Bailey

£ s d

M^r Lovejoy (Reading)^<6> 1 ·· 15 ·· 8
– Shrimpton Oxford^<7> 3 ·· 14 ·· 8
– Wyatt^<8> – D^o 1 ·· 7 ·· 0
– Sinnett^<9> – D^o 2 ·· 1 ·· 0
– Lomax – Manchester^<10> 3 ·· 18 ·· 0
– Agnew^<11> –D^o 3 ·· 9 ·· 0
– Bolengaro [sic]^<12> D^o 4 ··6 ··4
– Keith – Edinburgh^<13> 4 ··0 ··4*
– Bailey (Paid) – 2 ··19 ·· 8x
– Roe Cambridge^<14> (Paid) 2 ·· 4 ·· 6x
- Norton Birmingham^<15> 4 ·· 1 ·· 6 ‡
____________
£35 ·· 18 ·· 0

*This should be 6 ·· 0 ·· 8

‡ should be 4 ·· 1 ·· 0

Talbotypes Received
from the Establishment

£ s d

107 at – 3/6 – 18 ·· 14 ·· 6
9 at 5/- – 2 ·· 5 ·· 0
44 at 3/- – 6 ·· 12 ·· 0
12 at 2/- – 1 ·· 4 ·· 0
6 at1/6 – . ·· 9 ·· 0
__________
£29 ·· 4 ·· 6

Sold from Stock

£ s d

Bailey – – 4 ·· 9 ·· 0
M^r Keith (Edinburgh) 9 ·· 1 ·· 0
– Norton (Birmingham) 6 ·· 1 ·· 6
– Returned – – 9 ·· 13 ·· 0
_________
£29 ·· 4 ·· 6

[address panel:]
Talbot Esq^r

[across back fold, in another hand:]
Bailey’s Accounts with Talbotype’s [sic]

---

Notes:

1. Nicolaas Henneman (1813–1898), born in Holland and trained in Paris, was WHFT’s valet who emerged as his assistant in photography. Henneman set up his Calotype works at 8 Russell Terrace, Reading. Commencing operations at the start of 1844, it functioned both as a photographic studio and as a photographic printing works and continued through late 1846, at which time Henneman transferred his operations to London. Although Talbot supported Henneman through custom, such as printing the plates for The Pencil of Nature, and loans, it was always Henneman's operation. His business cards made no mention of "The Reading Establishment," the designation that it is popularly given today; the only contemporary use of that title seemed to be by Benjamin Cowderoy - see Doc. No: 05690. Henneman's second venture, the Sun Picture Rooms at 122 Regent Street, London, opened in the Spring of 1847. Talbot continued to subsidise the Sun Picture Rooms until June 1848.

2. The period appears to have been converted to a question mark by a reader.

3. The period appears to have been converted to a question mark by a reader.

4. Abbreviation for Talbotype (Calotype).

5. Robert Roe, publisher.

6. George Lovejoy (1808-1883), bookseller.

7. Thomas Shrimpton, print and book seller and publisher.

8. Possibly James Wyatt & Son, publishers, printsellers and framemakers, Oxford.

9. Presumably Frederick Sinnett, print importer, London; printseller, Paris. The ditto would indicate that he had another outlet in Oxford, as yet untraced; he is not listed in the 1842, 1847 or 1852 directories.

10. John Lomax, Repository of Arts.

11. Thomas Agnew, Art Dealer, Manchester.

12. Dominic Bolongaro, print seller in Manchester.

13. James Keith, printseller & picture frame maker.

14. Robert Roe, Printseller & engraver.

15. Elizabeth Norton, Printseller.