Wrack 1839

"Wrack" is a calotype photograph by William Henry Fox Talbot, a pioneer of photography, created in 1839. The image, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts a delicate seaweed branch in intricate detail, showcasing Talbot's groundbreaking photographic process. This early example of photogenic drawing uses a negative-positive process to capture the intricate details of the seaweed against a dark brown background, highlighting Talbot's contribution to the development of photography.