The Talbot Archive

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) is widely considered to be the founder of photography. His personal archive, currently in private hands, is now up for sale for an estimated price of £2.2 million. The Bodleian Libraries have been awarded £1.2 million by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and have until the end of February 2013 to raise the remaining funds to acquire this Archive.

This rare archive is the only significant Talbot collection remaining in private hands. It includes the first book illustrated with photographs, some of which are pictures of Oxford, as well as family diaries, early letters and possibly the first photograph ever taken by a woman.

World-renowned photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto, said: "The Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford is seeking to acquire the archive of William Henry Fox Talbot in order to ensure that scholars, artists, photographers and the general public can have access to the mass of papers, sketchbooks, photographs and artefacts that it contains to promote our understanding and appreciation of this great innovator, stimulate new art and other forms of creativity and broaden our understanding of the founder of a field of communication that has changed our world. I would like to add my support to their campaign to secure the Archive of William Henry Fox Talbot."

Please give your support to our campaign. Any gift that you can make, of any size, will help us to secure this important collection.