The Chess Players 1847

"The Chess Players" is a calotype photograph taken by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1847. The image, now located at the Art Institute of Chicago, depicts two men engaged in a game of chess. Talbot, a pioneer in photography, used a process he invented called the calotype, which captured the image on a paper negative, resulting in a unique aesthetic. The photograph showcases Talbot's experimental approach to photography, capturing a candid moment of leisure and reflecting the emerging popularity of photography in the 19th century.