The Art-Union and Photography, 1839-1854: The First Fifteen Years of Critical Engagement between Two Cultural Icons of Nineteenth-Century Britain Page: 41
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and Sir John Herschel, were exhibited on the occasion" of the first soiree held by the new
president of the Royal Society, the Marquis of Northampton, but does not provide any detail on
the individual images or the ways in which they were displayed.22 The Literary Gazette did not
report on any British photography exhibits in 1839, but in July of that year it did publish a reprint
from La Quotiedienne that reviewed an exhibition of Daguerre's work in Paris at the Chamber of
Deputies. The French had a history, since the early eighteenth century, of a much greater critical
engagement with art than did the British, so it is informative to note that La Quotiedienne
assessed specific images. The article states that the exhibit consisted of "views of three of the
streets of Paris, of the interior of M. Daguerre's studio, and of a group of busts from the Musde
des Antiques."23 These images were judged to have reproduced nature "with incredible
exactness" and "wonderful truth," such as "the slightest accidental effects of the sun, or boats,
the merchandise on the banks of the river, the most delicate objects, the small pebbles under the
water, and the different degrees of transparency which they imparted to it."24 In August 1839,
Talbot, along with giving a speech at the British Association, exhibited, according to H.J.P.
Arnold, "a total of ninety-three specimens comprising negative copies of botanical specimens,
positive copies of engravings and solar microscope views together with positive prints and a
negative of Lacock Abbey made in the camera."25
The Art-Union continued to focus on process development after 1839. It routinely
commented on improvements in photographic portraiture, especially Richard Beard's
experiments with creating color images, and an improved camera invented by Richard Willats
that produced, according to the article, pictures that are "most perfect, even to the minutest
22 Athenaeum no. 594 (March 16, 1839): 204.
23 Literary Gazette no. 1173 (July 13, 1839): 444.
24 Ibid.
25 Arnold, Talbot, 119.41
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Boetcher, Derek Nicholas. The Art-Union and Photography, 1839-1854: The First Fifteen Years of Critical Engagement between Two Cultural Icons of Nineteenth-Century Britain, thesis, August 2011; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc84178/m1/45/: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .