February 2016 - William Henry Fox Talbot

The open door, 1844

Museum of Modern Art, NY, USA, Salted paper print from paper negative (via https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2005.100.498/)

William Henry Talbot invented a camera producing fast and permanent images in 1840 with the calotype process that opened up a whole new world for photography. He is recognized today as the inventor of photography alongside Louis Daguerre. He pioneered the use of paper support and made complex images with his daily sceneries and dramatic landscapes. 

The photograph focuses on an old stone doorframe and simple wooden door of the stable, a humble broom, harness, and lantern. This way it becomes an essay on light and shadow, interior and exterior, form and texture.

Source: metmuseum.org