Constance Fox Talbot
Constance Talbot (née Mundy, 30 January 1811 – 9 September 1880) was an English artist credited as the first woman ever to take a photograph – a hazy image of a short verse by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. Constance, who came from Markeaton in Derbyshire, was the youngest daughter of Francis Mundy (1771–1837), Member of Parliament for that county from 1822 to 1831. She married William Henry Fox Talbot, one of the key players in the development of photography in the 1830s and 1840s, in 1832.
Also recorded as Constance Mundy · Constance Talbot
Constance Fox Talbot
William Henry Fox Talbot · [1] · Public domain
- Name
- Constance Fox Talbot
- Birth Name
- Constance Mundy
- Born
- 30 January 1811
- Birthplace
- Markeaton Hall, Markeaton, Derbyshire, England, UK
- Died
- 9 September 1880
- Place of death
- London, England, UK
- Field
- Photography
- Spouse
- William Henry Fox Talbot
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- Occupation
- photographer.
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Documentary summary
Constance Talbot (née Mundy, 30 January 1811 – 9 September 1880) was an English artist credited as the first woman ever to take a photograph – a hazy image of a short verse by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. Constance, who came from Markeaton in Derbyshire, was the youngest daughter of Francis Mundy (1771–1837), Member of Parliament for that county from 1822 to 1831. She married William Henry Fox Talbot, one of the key players in the development of photography in the 1830s and 1840s, in 1832.
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wikidata · Q16063409 · wikipedia · Constance Fox Talbot
In this article
Biography
Biography
In 1833, during their honeymoon in Italy, her husband realised that her artistic abilities were superior to his, and began to develop a method to capture a view without draughtsmanship, which led to the negative-positive process of photography. She briefly experimented with the process herself as early as 1839.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Constance Fox Talbot • Birth Name — Constance Mundy • Born — 30 January 1811 • Birthplace — Markeaton Hall, Markeaton, Derbyshire, England, UK • Died — 9 September 1880 • Place of death — London, England, UK • Field — Photography • Spouse — William Henry Fox Talbot • Resting Place — Lacock Cemetery, Lacock, Wiltshire, England, UK
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the headings Constance Mundy and Constance Talbot. She was the child of Francis Mundy and Sarah Newton. She married William Henry Fox Talbot. 4 children are recorded: Ella Talbot, Rosamond Constance Talbot, Matilda Caroline Talbot and Charles Henry Talbot.
Identity
Identity
Constance Fox Talbot is recorded as United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1811
Constance Fox Talbot born at Markeaton.
1880
Constance Fox Talbot died at London.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Constance Fox Talbot”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q16063409: Constance Fox Talbot
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.The House of Commons, 1820-1832. Published for the History of Parliament Trust by Cambridge University Press. 2009. 434562634.
- 2.Sarah Leaper Newton.
- 3.John Nannavy. Fox Talbot. Shire Publications Ltd. 1997. 0-7478-0351-X.
- 4.Malcolm Daniel. William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–1877) and the Invention of Photography. ottobre 2004.
- 5.Rose Teanby. Constance Talbot (1811-1880). 2021.
- 6.William Henry Fox Talbot. Metodo per eseguire sulla carta il fotogenico disegno. Giuseppe Crespi. 1839.
- 7.Artistic jealousy that inspired William Henry Fox Talbot to develop photography. The Times. 1. dicembre 2020.
- 8.Gail Buckland. Fox Talbot and the invention of photography. D. R. Godine. 1980. 978-0-87923-307-5.
- 9.Arnold, H.J.P. William. Henry Fox Talbot, Pioneer of photography and man of science. Hutchinson Benham. 1977. 4203693.
- 10.Maev Kennedy. Bodleian Library launches £2.2m bid to stop Fox Talbot archive going overseas. 9 dicembre 2012.
- 11.Roger Taylor, Larry J. Schaaf. Talbot, Constance. Impressed by light : British photographs from paper negatives, 1840-1860. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2007. 153554420.
- 12.Melissa Spreadborough. Constance Fox Talbot.
- 13.Theresa Digby. The Correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot. 8 aprile 1839.
- 14.William Henry Talbot. The Correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot. 9 agosto 1839.
- 15.Larry J. Schaaf. Out of the Shadows, Herschel, Talbot & the Invention of Photography. Yale University Press. 1992.
- 16.How women photographers see the world. The Globe and The Mail. 2021.
- 17.Constance Mundy Talbot, Find a Grave, 12 April 2013.
- 18.The Watercolour Project.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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