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Document number: 3915
Date: 09 Aug 1839
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: CHANCE James Timmins
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA39-61
Last updated: 17th October 2011

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE,
BIRMINGHAM, 1839

Phil. Inst.<1>
9 Aug. 1839

Sir,

In reply to your letter of the 27 ult:<2> in reference to glass coverings for your photogenic drawings I beg to state that I will provide a sufficient number of cases for as many drawings as you may be kind enough to bring:– each case will be about 3ft: high & 2ft 6 in: wide: so that 6 of them would be equal to the superficial measurement required by 100 drawings.<3>

I am, Sir, Yours truly
James T. Chance


Notes:

1. The Birmingham Philosophical Society was founded in 1800 and by 1813 moved into new premises in Cannon Street, modelled on the Royal Institution in London. On 24 October 1839, shortly after the BAAS meeting, Monsieur de Sainte Croix demonstrated the Daguerreotype process there.

2. Letter not located.

3. WHFT took full advantage of this, exhibiting 93 specimens of negatives and positives. They were listed in a pamphlet, A Brief Description of the Photogenic Drawings Exhibited at the Meeting of the British Association, at Birmingham, in August, 1839, by H. F. Talbot, Esq.