Good morning everyone, I am working on the beginnings of photography in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. In 1823, W. F. Talbot travelled to Italy via the St Gotthard Pass. There he made some pencil drawings (image attached). I wanted to ask if there are any bibliographical sources that confirm that Talbot was already using technical tools for drawing at that time. On this subject, I only have a few (valuable) observations by Michael Gray published online, but without any indication of sources.
I would like to thank in advance anyone who is willing to help me.
Alberto Azzi, (Tremona - Switzerland)
Image (above): Between 1821 and 1834, Henry Talbot, his mother and half sisters, Caroline Augusta and Horatia Maria Feilding made regular extended journeys to the European mainland, visiting France, Northern Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the German states. Talbot, accompanied by his Italian manservant, Giovanni, in 1836took a long extended trip through France and Italy and eventually to the Greek Island of Corfu. Fluent in many languages and familiar with the arts and sciences in Europe, Talbot sought out and conversed with some of the most prominent scientific, and cultural figures whose work and interests most closely related to his own. On almost all his journeys Talbot included in his travel luggage a number of optical instruments and drawing aids, among which were various types of camera obscura, camera lucida and reflective devices (Claude glass, concave mirror etc), with sporadic reference being made, in his notebooks to a collimator, sextant, and theodolite.
Comments