TALBOT89

Thursday Morning

Dear Grove

To advert to more genial themes ¹ – I should like very much to see your experiment of the Ruhmkorff coil ² applied to the Leyden jar ³ and with your assistance to apply it to obtain some instantaneous pictures ⁴ as I did formerly.

A child spinning a tetotum ⁵ would make a pretty little picture, tho’ I am afraid it would be beyond present means of accomplishment – The tetotum alone taken spinning, with the figures legible would be of itself sufficiently curious. It would require a camera of short form, held pretty near the object.

Whatever be the object two points are essential, First that the Electric spark be very bright –
Secondly, that no second spark shall follow the first immediately. There must be time enough to close the camera before a second spark occurs –

Would there be any difficulty in realising these two conditions?

Yours truly
H. F. Talbot

address
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham