TALBOT7083

Ashmolean Museum. ¹
Dec^r 6. 1854.

My dear Sir

I enclose you a picture which I made from your positive process ² to day – I believe it is set. I left it at least, for a half hour in a 1/8^th sat^d cold solution of Hyposulphite & washed it. I did not take the trouble to get all the Iodide out – It is not worth it, & is good enough to shew the ease with which the process can be done. I only did two pictures & this is rather the better of the two. My Assistant ³ made his picture this morning but he left it in about ten times too long, arguing from his experience in the dull fog of yesterday ⁴ – So he has had to make more Iodized paper, as he foolishly only made 4 sheets before. I hope he will have done a picture to send by post-time. He seems to me to be as successful as I should be myself. His Iodized paper looks capital, & in fact in every respect except calculation of time in the Camera which he must learn by experience he seems to do the Calotype perfectly & that from a verbatim pursuit of your instructions. ⁵

It strikes me that you might multiply original fine negatives of the ordinary kind most advantageously by your positive process. I observe it requires greater cleanliness even than normal with such processes, though by the way I have not been operating to day with much of this virtue.

Could you lay your hand on my original tree-negatives? ⁶ You have some four or five of them I think at Lacock. I should much like a few more copies of them. I have not one left.

Believe me, always Y^rs very truly
Nevil Story Maskelyne