[Leaves of Jasmine]

Glowing as if illuminated by an internal fire, this jasmine plant speaks of light, the very thing that has preserved its image over the decades. The color is vivid and uncommon in William Henry Fox Talbot’s early work. The overlapping of some of the leaves hints at a three-dimensionality that is not actually present. The slightly brighter tones of the interior of the image heighten this sense and also serve to frame the specimen. This pattern is unusual. In-camera negatives are often lighter at the edges, where the illumination falls off, but this picture was made with the plant directly in contact with the sheet of sensitive paper. Also, when they fade, prints and negatives most often suffer first at the edges, which are more vulnerable to the atmosphere and are the most often handled part. Why is this example different?

There is a great deal we do not know and may never understand about the chemistry of these early images. The most likely explanation here comes from the fact that when a sheet of paper is washed the chemicals tend to migrate to the edges before leaving the paper. (This is one reason why moderately older photographic prints often have colored stains in their border areas.) Perhaps a chemical beneficial to the long-term stability of the silver deposit was working its way toward the edge of this negative when the washing was stopped. The effect may not have been visible until decades later, but whatever the cause, it now makes an essential and positive contribution to the visual qualities of this picture.

Larry Schaaf, William Henry Fox Talbot, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2002), 48. ©2002 J. Paul Getty Trust.