TALBOT5526

Broadlands
Monday 12 Jan^y

My Dear Henry

All the Talbotypes I brought in my portfolio, ont fait fortune, ils en raffolent ici,¹ but when I gave L^y P ² – your 5^th Number³ this morning, she immediately exclaimed that the book binder or Publisher had stuck in the Plates crooked! & then the Lace she said was blonde & not so pretty as some she had seen of yours tho’ well executed for what it was. In short she prefers N^o 3 & N^o 4 very much to N^o 5. She was pleased with the letter press, & read it out to us all, but angry you should seem to doubt about Olive⁴ & the broken finger which she said she should always believe was Olive & not a frail nun, & you ought not to take away the character of the Sisterhood by such insinuations. To my surprize in looking over an old Portfolio full of miscellaneous prints I discovered two early Talbotypes extremely faded, which I wanted to burn but she would not let me. She could not remember who had given them to her, nor can I guess, but I recognised the Subjects. In the same collection was the Print of Palmella from M^r Collen’s⁵ calotype. Her second son William Cowper (M.P. for Hertford)⁶ is so charmed with the art he wants to learn it & what I said I will tell you when we meet, it is too long to write. Owing to me it is certainly becoming much more known dans le beau Monde.⁷ I hear that Brighton is unusually empty, which gives us a better chance of Houses. I have found here Whewell’s⁸ new book which I particularly wanted to see, called Indications of the Creator.

Aff^y y^rs
E F

H. Fox Talbot Esq^r