32 St James’ Place
Friday evening – Septr 23rd
My dear Father.
I paid another visit to the Assyrian basement room today, and looked at the things more carefully. Sennacherib III seems to have been a great hunter. In one of the sculptures they are shooting deer enclosed in a sort of park or enclosure. In another they are shooting wild apes and also taking them with the lasso. They have appear to have shot lions in the open field as well as out of cages. They have covered one of the sculptures with glass as an experiment I believe to see if it preserves them better. The London atmosphere seems to have some effect upon them. I asked the man who was there about them and he said that this told me this, and that they had not been all copied but only some. I think they ought to be all photographed & then photoglyphically engraved in order that if they at do get injured there may be an exact record of their what they were. Some par of the stones seem better than others, & on some parts of some stones the sculpture is quite sharp whereas on other parts it is hardly to be made out at all. There is a representation of the siege of Lachish in which the Hebrews are represented with rather curly heads of hair. The Some of the painted bricks & tiles of the Assyrians are very good. I h When are we to have a good & readable history of the Assyrians? there are many curious minor articles of metal & a & also some flint knives & a flint saw. Some coffins of a peculiar shape. The colours on some of the old glass is are wonderful & very much more beautiful than I should suppose such colours could be. If one could produce them artificially one might originate a new & beautiful style of art. They far outpass any oth artificial colouring in brilliancy. It is owing I suppose to an oxidation of oxidization of some of the elements of the glass. Is it not? The Assyrians represented the events of every day life on their monuments and they are very interesting. Why dont we do the same? Why dont we represent omnibusses & railway trains & walking advertisements &c? They will be obsolete some day or other, at least in their present forms.
There The meeting of the British Association at Bath was a successful one, was it not? It is lucky for me that the weather continues so fine & London is seen to advantage. I should think the present time will be an important one in the history of London as the originator of great improvements. Have the photosculpture company <1> commenced their operations in London yet?
Your affect son
Charles
[envelope:]
H Fox Talbot Esq
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts.
Notes:
1. See Doc. No: 08891.