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Copy Print From "Celebrated Inscriptions Ancient Eugubine Tablets"

A work made of salted paper print.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of salted paper print.

Date:

c. 1844

Artist:

William Henry Fox Talbot
English, 1800–1877

About this artwork

When William Henry Fox Talbot, one of the inventors of photography, presented his initial findings in January 1839, he proposed a variety of applications for his new discovery, which he called “photogenic drawing.” He presciently detailed how it could be used for portraits, landscape, architecture, and depictions of objects seen in the microscope—but also as a tool for copying drawings and engravings. Here Talbot—an expert in ancient languages as well as chemistry—photographically reproduced a page showing a copy of inscriptions in a native Umbrian alphabet from one of seven ancient bronze tablets discovered in Italy in the 15th century.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

William Henry Fox Talbot

Title

Copy Print From "Celebrated Inscriptions Ancient Eugubine Tablets"

Place

England (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1839–1849

Medium

Salted paper print

Inscriptions

Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, upper right, in graphite: "9" [encircled]

Dimensions

Image: 19.9 × 14.2 cm (7 7/8 × 5 5/8 in.); Paper: 22.9 × 19 cm (9 1/16 × 7 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Edward E. Ayer Endowment in memory of Charles L. Hutchinson

Reference Number

1972.339

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/38979/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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