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William Henry Fox Talbot (artist) British, 1800 - 1877 The Boulevards of Paris, 1843 salted paper print from paper negative Overall: 16.6 x 17.1 cm (6 9/16 x 6 3/4 in.) overall: 35.6 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.) New Century Fund 1997.97.4 |
From the moment Talbot announced his new invention in 1839, the world was entranced with photography. Talbot himself realized that by recording the world around him—a busy street, an architectural detail, or something as simple as light falling on an old building—he could freeze the visual spectacle of the world and create an object that could be savored long after the event had transpired: he could transform life into art.