“The painter constructs, the photographer discloses.” 
― Susan Sontag, On Photography

As many of you know Mark and I try to visit National Trust properties as often as we can. We are members which saves us a considerable amount of money. This week we revisited Lacock Abbey and the Fox Talbot museum in Wiltshire. It has a very interesting history, not only is it 800 years old in places but also was the home of Henry Fox Talbot. It was founded as a medieval nunnery in 1232. For movie and TV buffs it was used as the setting for the first 2 Harry Potter films, and the village was used as a setting for Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth one) and Cranford. To me it is the almost perfect place to visit (all is missing is water), it has wonderful medieval architecture a botanic garden and a very interesting history.

But this visit was really to learn more about Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877). He was a mathematician, botanist and chemist. he is known for inventing photography, his process of creating a negative in the camera and from that making multiple positive prints was the dominant process throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  His work was based on earlier experiments by others.

Talbot inherited Lacock when he was 5 months old but didn’t live there until he was 27. His disappointing attempts at drawing whilst on his honeymoon led him to think how science might help people with no artistic talent to make images.

If you would like to read more about this amazing man you will some more information HERE

I wonder what he would think of today’s instant photography and the ease of processing !

Photo taken using Hipstamatic.

As summer begins to fade there was a last show of beautiful flowers in the kitchen garden.

I created a scrapbook page. Supplies by Anna Aspnes and Agnes Biro.

I love this quote from Talbot

Textures used in the scrapbook page are kk waterfront1 and quiet.