Sir,
I herewith forward you some positives of the Malta Views, <1> with a few trees, which I thought you might like to send to Mr Jones as specimens. I also enclose 100 sheets of “Iodized Paper”, as you will surmise by the accompanying letter that Mr Jones has never received those which you sent. I shall be enabled to take much better pictures from the Maltese negatives, but thinking you would like to have some as quickly as possible, I have selected 20 of each size of those already taken.
Your Obt Svt
N. Henneman
Reading <2>
Mch 24/46
Notes:
1. Photographs by Rev Calvert Richard Jones (1802–1877), Welsh painter & photographer or Rev George Wilson Bridges (1788–1863), photographer & traveller or Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803–1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT’s Welsh cousin, Larry J. Schaaf, Sun Pictures Catalogue Five: The Reverend Calvert R. Jones (New York: Hans P. Kraus, Jr, 1987), p. 30. [See Doc. No: 05646, Doc. No: 05649, Doc. No: 05848].
2. 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 - and in Henneman's initial correspondence with WHFT.