1. Felce. 2. Alga 1839

William Henry Fox Talbot made this photogenic drawing of a fern and an alga sometime in the mid-nineteenth century. It’s an early experiment with photography, a new medium that would transform the way we see and document the world. In Britain, at this time, scientific exploration and classification were very popular pursuits. The British Empire was expanding rapidly, and with it came a thirst for knowledge about the natural world. Photography, with its promise of objective representation, seemed like the perfect tool for cataloging and understanding the vast array of plant and animal life. But it’s important to remember that photography wasn’t simply a neutral recording device. It was shaped by the social and intellectual currents of its time. To truly understand this image, we can delve into the scientific publications of the era, the records of botanical societies, and even the personal letters of figures like Talbot. By examining the social and institutional contexts in which art is made, we gain a richer understanding of its meaning and significance.