A photograph, actually it is a photogram, known as “leaf” is coming up for auction at sotheby’s on April 7th. and could be possible the oldest photographic representation found.
It has been previously attributed to William Henry Fox Talbot who is one of the founding fathers of photography. He made a number of leaf pictures and this one is thought to be made by him at 1839.
But new research suggest it might be made in 1790 by Thomas Wedgwood, Humphry Davy or James Watt who are all know as experimenters in photography.
” … Sotheby’s says research by a leading photo expert suggests otherwise - that several early photo experimenters could be the authors, including Thomas Wedgwood, James Watt and Humphry Davy, who worked in the medium decades earlier. If that theory is true, it means the photo could have been made as early as 1790.
All six photogenic drawings were contained in an album belonging to Henry Bright of England whose family had a close social connection to the Wedgwoods, Watt and Davy, adding further support to the theory that “Leaf” could be by one of them, Sotheby’s said.
The work of Wedgwood, of Wedgwood china fame, Watt and Davy was documented in their day and cited in standard histories of photography, but no examples have ever been identified, Sotheby’s said. …”
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Categorie: Humphry Davy, James Watt, leaf, Sotheby's, Thomas Wedgwood, William Henry Fox Talbot
