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Lot Essay
Talbot's London images, taken between 1841 and 1845, act as an early visual record of a changing cityscape. The lack of figures and movement in these photographs, due to the long exposure time required for the calotype process, gives a stillness to the compositions in which the monuments and buildings take centre stage. Photographing London in the 1840s was made challenging by the city's atmospheric pollution and it is likely that Talbot and his collaborators, including Nicolaas Henneman, worked early in the day before the city was in full bustle.
In this iconic image, Talbot captured the base of the newly-erected Nelson's Column as the scaffolding was being removed. In documenting new monuments and buildings in London, Talbot preferred an elevated viewpoint: this view was probably taken from an upstairs window in Cockspur Street.
While the negative is not known to have survived, prints of this image are found in several private collections, including the William Henry Fox Talbot Trust, and in the following institutions: National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Bradford; Museum of Modern Art, NY; J. Paul Getty Museum; Canadian Centre for Architecture; and Art Institute, Chicago.
In this iconic image, Talbot captured the base of the newly-erected Nelson's Column as the scaffolding was being removed. In documenting new monuments and buildings in London, Talbot preferred an elevated viewpoint: this view was probably taken from an upstairs window in Cockspur Street.
While the negative is not known to have survived, prints of this image are found in several private collections, including the William Henry Fox Talbot Trust, and in the following institutions: National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Bradford; Museum of Modern Art, NY; J. Paul Getty Museum; Canadian Centre for Architecture; and Art Institute, Chicago.