Lacock Abbey
April 10. 1873
Dear Sir
Absence from home delayed my receipt of Your letter – I do not recognise the building shown in the little photograph which is one of very early date. When first the Stereoscope was made known, Wheatstone suggested that photography then quite a new art, might yield more perfect results in the stereoscope than the old plan of making drawings by hand, and accordingly a number of photographs were made and sent to him – I remember his saying that the angle proved to be too large, but I do not think that any others were made subsequently. The date will be probably 1841 or 1842 but I have no memorandum.<1>
The Pencil of Nature was published in 1844 and 1845. There were six numbers published, with 5 or 6 plates in each.<2>
I also published another work in 1845 which perhaps you have not met with, it was entitled
Sun Pictures in Scotland
it contained 23 plates, among which No 2 is now a curiosity representing the Scott Monument in Edinburgh in course of building, and surrounded with scaffolding, taken in October 1844<3>
Some of the plates have now faded, and some not at all. The art of fixing them properly was not understood at that time.
Believe me Yours very Truly
H. F. Talbot
J. Spiller Esq
Notes:
1. See Doc. No: 04172 and Doc. No: 04198
2. WHFT, The Pencil of Nature (London: Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans, June 1844–April 1846 [issued in six fascicles with a total of 24 plates]). For details of this, including the fading of the prints, see Larry J. Schaaf, “Introductory Volume”, The Pencil of Nature: Anniversary Facsimile (New York : Hans P. Kraus, Jr. Inc., 1989). 3. WHFT issued Sun Pictures in Scotland in 1845 by subscription - it contained 23 original photographs but no text beyond a plate listing.