TALBOT7723

30 Eastbourne Terrace – ¹
Monday

My dear Henry

We are all very much delighted with your specimens of photoglyphic engraving, but long for some, from views of Lacock! which would be more original than Paris or even the great Bell of Moscow ² – Be sure I shall soon pick out something, when I return home ³ which I shall submit to you to know if it is worth waxing & experimenting upon! or else, send you a glass negative or positive? ⁴ for I am a little mystified as to which you prefer to operate upon. If you get good steel plates, as you say, I hope you will order some also for me – I suppose they will have to be kept in the kitchen! by way of counteracting our damp sea air, until used – for tho’ we do not have our walls run down like those at Penrice, ⁵ where we used to write our names in the dew on foggy days, on the backstaircase yet we have so many trees &^c round us, that I must be careful of polished steel! We have a very nice printing press but I must not go too fast! but make my dies first! Hitherto I have been sole printer (with nitrate of silver) ⁶ for M^r Llewelyn ⁷ & I do not think he wants enough, to require assistance from Henneman ⁸ tho’ I have pretty hard work sometimes, too. – Have you made those you have so kindly sent me, without any assistance whatever? I have a pleasant recollection of the days when my sister Jane ⁹ used to attempt etching upon copperplates & lithographic drawing but how inferior are these, to photographic results!

I am delighted to think we shall have such an interesting amusement as your new art, to add to our occupations –

in haste your aff^te cousin
E. Llewelyn

[envelope:]
Henry Fox Talbot Esq^r.
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham