Veranda.
Feby 13th 1847.
Dear Sir,
The deep snows caused a day’s delay in the arrival of your letter: and the intervention of Sunday will excuse my not answering it before an hiatus of two days.
I am sorry that I cannot at once accede to your proposal, as I have the possibility of being presented to a Living; [illegible deletion] this however must be settled in a week or two, when anything is concluded either way, I will let you know.
Shd it be in my power to avail myself of your kind offer, I have no doubt that we shall come to terms, as my zeal for our beloved art will urge me to forward it by any means in my power.
I sincerely grieve for the cause which will probably take you abroad, but know no person whose conduct I wd rather supervise in your absence than Henneman <1> as I believe him to be a [sic] an honest working man, who appears to have your interest entirely at heart.
Whether I am presented to this Living or not, believe me that any coopera[tion] or advice in my power will be at your servmy power I be able to occupy your place as director of the establishment in Regent St <2> I have no doubt that I could produce beautiful subjects in the way of pictures from groups &c from the persons and costumes available in London, and from my acquaintance with several of the first Artists but these are not the points which will make such an establishment pay well: it is the portraiture of the multitude on which we must depend, and I wd urge you to concentrate the powers of your versatile mind at this time to the grand point of arriving at a sure quick method, which I trust, from what you say, you are perfecting
I wd even recommend your not attempting a Portrait establishment unless you can make sure of likenesses being taken in moderately bright weather without sun in the glass room: there can be no doubt of this being feasible, and of your discovering it, only pray make certain of it.
I have been setting about colouring, in earnest, and have now a good many ready for sale, with considerable progressive improvement this wd be a source of emolument to you and myself; especially if as you suggest I were to employ colourers from my originals: I much desire to see the copies from my last series.
I have sent some experimental copies from Daguerreotypes <3> to Henneman to copy and have done some snow scenes; I much desire to have a double sized Camera, <4> and have written to Davidson and C. Chevalier <5> about one; I lately did some beautiful subjects from Neath Abbey
Yours very truly
Calvert R Jones.
Notes:
1. Nicolaas Henneman (1813–1898), Dutch, active in England; WHFT’s valet, then assistant; photographer.
2. 122 Regent Street, London: base of Nicolaas Hennemans’ Talbotype or Sun Picture Rooms, later the firm of Henneman & Malone, photographers to the Queen.
3. Jones had mastered Daguerreotypy first, but was soon persuaded by the advantages of WHFT's approach on paper. These might have been copies of his own Daguerreotypes.
4. Jones presented this camera to the Photographic Society of London in 1853. See Schaaf, Sun Pictures Catalogue Five: The Reverend Calvert R. Jones (New York: Hans P. Kraus, Jr, Inc, 1990), pp. 38, 39.
5. Thomas Davidson (1798–1878), scientific instrument maker and Daguerreotypist and Charles Chevalier (1804–1859), optician, Paris.