William Henry Fox Talbot: Beyond Photography. Cambridge: British Library; Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH), 24.06.2010-26.06.2010.

Reviewed by Mirjam Brusius

Published on H-Soz-u-Kult (May, 2011)

Most people know William Henry Fox Talbot The aim of this event was to reinvigorate (1800-1877) as a pioneer of early photography – scholarly work on Talbot – a central fgure in the but few realize the impact he had on Victorian history of photography – by experimenting with a culture generally. Beyond Photography: William new multi-disciplinary approach to his work for Henry Fox Talbot, a three-day conference held at an edited volume (Yale UP 2012). The conference the University of Cambridge in June and co-fund‐ brought together two communities of scholars: on ed by the British Academy, the Gerda Henkel the one hand, historians of nineteenth-century Foundation, the Paul Mellon Centre for the Study science and culture, many of whom conducted of British Art, The Mellon Centre for Disciplinary new research into the British Library’s large ar‐ Innovation (CDI) at CRASSH, The British Library chive of Talbot’s notebooks and diaries but who and Trinity College Cambridge, attempted to set often had only passing familiarity with Talbot's the record straight. Talbot's activities as a Victori‐ photographic oeuvre; and on the other hand, art an intellectual and 'gentleman of science' ranged historians and historians of photography for widely across the natural sciences, classical schol‐ whom Talbot's images form a foundational ele‐ arship and Assyriology. The interdisciplinary con‐ ment of their disciplinary canon, but who had lit‐ ference approached Talbot’s work with this wider tle knowledge of his other intellectual activities. A perspective in mind, bringing together art histori‐ set of important themes emerged and recurred ans, curators, historians of science and practition‐ throughout the two days of the conference and in ers of the many scholarly felds to which Talbot the commentaries and discussions at the end of contributed. The papers and commentaries situat‐ each day: ed Talbot against the networks and institutions of The “social geography” of Victorian intellectu‐ Victorian intellectual enterprise, while raising ba‐ al life. Talbot’s social position and his wide range sic questions about the relation between photog‐ of interests seem to make him a particularly use‐ raphy and these other felds. Previously unknown ful subject for illuminating the socially heteroge‐ archive material was presented, and attracted neous landscape of nineteenth-century knowl‐ more than 70 delegates from the UK and overseas. edge in terms of issues of class, skill, expertise, Organized jointly by the British Library and the training, and discipline – terms central to the so‐ Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences cial history of the period. The meaning of Lacock and Humanities (CRASSH), the conference drew Abbey (Talbot’s country estate) as a social, politi‐ on the Talbot archive at the British Library. cal, intellectual, technological, and archival site has not yet been fully explored. Was Talbot a H-Net Reviews

“centrifugal” fgure with subjects and information meaning in early twenty-frst-century scholarly moving outwards, or fowing inwards towards discourse) repeatedly arose in our discussions: him? The telling absence of the “oriental” "discovery", "invention", "discipline", "profession‐ (especially India) as one of Talbot’s interests was al", "aesthetics". Because Talbot's wide range of also raised, as was the question of his religious or‐ activities and interests took place during a crucial thodoxy, especially with respect to his various period in the intellectual development and social projects dealing with the past and with ancient re‐ formation of Victorian knowledge systems, when ligions. even such seemingly basic terms as "art" and "sci‐ What did we mean by “beyond” photography? ence" were in fux, it is precisely these terms that Values having to do with the proper or enjoyable we need to be careful not to deploy uncritically in exercise of vision/visual judgment (such as visual our analysis. acuity, discrimination, pleasure, and connoisseur‐ The conference successfully used historical ship) arose in a few of the papers, and suggested studies of Talbot and his scientifc and intellectual ways of examining connections or productive ten‐ context to explore the discursive relations among sions between Talbot's photographic work and his art, science, and photography in the nineteenth other activities. A question which frequently century. Nevertheless it can be stated that further arose between the lines but which was never an‐ clarifcation will certainly be needed in respect to swered was the relationship between classic the historiography and meta-narrative of the con‐ iconographic readings of Talbot’s photographs, ference. Towards the end of the event the ques‐ and the scientifc and intellectual context of pho‐ tion was raised of what exactly was the nature of tography’s invention. the historiographical intervention we were at‐ Talbot’s abiding interest in origins, as well as tempting to make with this conference and the a persistent fascination with languages, script and publication arising out of it. Is the aim to bring bi‐ inscription, decipherment, and legibility, are ographical coherence to Talbot studies, or to dis‐ themes that seem to have cut across several of his perse him as a subject across diferent felds? Re‐ intellectual activities (antiquarianism, archaeolo‐ lated to this concern is the question of whether to gy, etymology, Assyriology, as well as photogra‐ think of Talbot as a “typical” or an “exceptional” phy). It would also be useful to explore the politi‐ Victorian intellectual, a question which recurred cal and theological valence of Talbot's various throughout the discussions and was not fully an‐ projects dealing with the past. Many papers also swered. Despite the many questions that re‐ called attention to the materiality of record-keep‐ mained open for now, the event demonstrated ing and research practices for nineteenth-century that careful studies of the social, scientifc, and in‐ intellectuals like Talbot, and to the materiality of tellectual context of photography's invention can the Talbot archive itself. Moreover, like the scien‐ bring new insights to the history of photography, tist and celebrated polymath William Whewell, science and art alike. Talbot seems to be a useful lens through which to Conference overview: examine the tendency of Victorian intellectuals Keynote Lecture (particularly reforming Whigs) to value the culti‐ James Elkins (School of the Art Institute of Chica‐ vation of omniscience, and to seek to understand go): The Variable Relation of Photography and Sci‐ and control many diferent aspects of knowledge ence and society at once. Finally, certain key terms Introduction: Paul Binski (Faculty of Architecture with highly unstable meaning in the period under and History of Art, University of Cambridge) study (and which currently have a highly ossifed

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Conference Introduction James A. Secord (Department of History and Phi‐ Katrina Dean, John Falconer and Mirjam Brusius losophy of Science, University of Cambridge) (The British Library): Lacock Abbey and the coun‐ Session 4: Tracing Origins: Etymology and De‐ try house archive/The Talbot Collection at the cipherment British Library/Talbot’s notebooks. A short survey Chair: David Gange (Wolfson College/Cambridge Keynote lecture Victorian Studies Group, University of Cambridge) Larry J. Schaaf (Baltimore, Maryland): Lady Elisa‐ Anatoly Liberman (University of Minnesota): beth's Henry Talbot as a Student of Word Origins Introduction: Jennifer Tucker (Weslyan Universi‐ Eleanor Robson (University of Cambridge): ty) Bel, the Dragon, and Henry Fox Talbot: decipher‐ Session 1: Foundations: Mathematics and An‐ ing cuneiform after decipherment tiquity Session 5: Image and inscription in Talbot's Chair: Steve Edwards (The Open University) Scientifc Network Tony Crilly (University of Middlesex): Talbot Chair: Kelley Wilder (DeMontfort University, and the Cambridge Tripos Leicester ) David Gange (Cambridge Victorian Studies Chitra Ramalingam (CRASSH, University of Group, University of Cambridge): The Antiquity of Cambridge): The Most Transitory of Things: Talbot Genesis and the Origins of Civilisation and the Optics of the Instantaneous Image Session 2: Knowledge Practices: Observation Frank James (Royal Institution, London): Im‐ and Notetaking ages of Faraday: Photography at the Royal Institu‐ Chair: Katrina Dean (The British Library) tion John van Wyhe (University of Cambridge/Na‐ Session 6: Re-reading “The Pencil of Nature” tional University of Singapore): Making Scientifc Chair: Roger Taylor (De Montfort University, Notes in the 19th Century: The Notebooks of Dar‐ Leicester) win and Wallace Vered Maimon (Hebrew University of Anne Secord (University of Cambridge): Tal‐ Jerusalem): Talbot's Art of Discovery bot's First Lens: Botanical Vision as an Exact Sci‐ Robin Kelsey (Harvard University): The Pho‐ ence tograph as Sign in The Pencil of Nature Session 3: Gentlemanly Pursuits: Antiquari‐ Commentary and fnal discussion anism and Literature Chair: Chitra Ramalingam (CRASSH, University of Chair: Roger Watson (Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock Cambridge) Abbey) Simon Schafer (Department of History and Phi‐ Mirjam Brusius (University of Cambridge/The losophy of Science, University of Cambridge) British Library): Preserving the Forgotten: Talbot and the Antique Graham Smith (University of St. Andrews): In Scott's Shadow:Talbot and the Wizard of the North Commentary and discussion (chair as above)

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Citation: Mirjam Brusius. Review of William Henry Fox Talbot: Beyond Photography. H-Soz-u-Kult, H-Net Reviews. May, 2011.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=33291

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