William Henry Fox Talbot

Profession: Photography Pioneer

Nationality:

Biography: William Henry Fox Talbot was a British scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer, known for inventing the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later 19th and 20th centuries. His work significantly contributed to the technological and artistic development of photography, changing the way we capture and perceive the world around us.

Trained as a mathematician and a classical scholar at Cambridge University, Talbot's interest extended into various scientific fields. However, it was his work in photography that truly set him apart. Inspired by his struggles with sketching during a trip to Italy, he sought to invent a process that would "draw" the images he saw naturally.

His first major achievement was the "photogenic drawing" process, where he used light-sensitive paper to produce photographic negatives. This was followed by his development of the calotype process, a method of creating paper negatives, which marked a crucial step towards the development of modern photography.

Talbot further pioneered the field of photography by publishing "The Pencil of Nature" in 1844. This was essentially the world's first commercially published book illustrated with photographs. An episodic publication, it documented everyday objects and scenes using his innovative calotype process.

Born: February 11, 1800
Birthplace: Dorset, England
Star Sign: Aquarius

Died: September 17, 1877 (aged 77)