Loch Katrine
William Henry Fox Talbot
British, 1800–1877
1844
An early landscape photograph by William Henry Fox Talbot—a salted paper print made from his calotype negative—intended to capture the still mood of Loch Katrine while showing how photography could record subtle tonal gradations.
What hits you is the mirror-smooth surface of the lake bisecting the frame, with soft, grainy tones turning distant hills, a lone tree, and a small wooden jetty into delicate, near-silhouetted reflections.
As an early calotype print, it demonstrates Talbot’s breakthrough in creating reproducible negatives and helped establish photography as both a documentary tool and a medium for artistic landscape expression.
Medium
Salted paper print from a calotype
Dimensions
6 7/8 × 8 5/16" (17.4 × 21.1 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Family of Man Fund
Accession
231.1989
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
