Piece of lace by Henry Fox Talbot, 1845
This photographic copy was published as plate XX in The Pencil of Nature. In the text accompanying the image Talbot explained his choice:
“In taking views of buildings, statues, portraits, &c. it is necessary to obtain a positive image, because the negative images of such objects are hardly intelligible, substituting light for shade, and vice versa. But in copying such things as lace … a negative image is perfectly allowable, black lace being as familiar to the eye as white lace, and the object being only to exhibit the pattern with accuracy.”
source: Fox Talbot
