Fox Talbot Museum

A visitor looks at the display in the Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock in Wiltshire

One man’s ambition changed the way we see the world, forever. William Henry Fox Talbot, polymath and pioneer of Victorian photography, created the earliest surviving photographic negative in 1835 at Lacock Abbey.

The Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock explores the history of photography and hosts photography exhibitions.

 

A lone figure silhouetted against a multi coloured skyscape

Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Explore beyond your horizon with a new exhibition at the Fox Talbot Museum: 100 extraordinary images showcasing the very best in astrophotography. Galaxies, aurorae and skyscapes all feature in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year, an annual competition run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Runs till 2 May 2022.

For us today it seems normal to take photos of the world around us. We use a camera or phone almost daily, snapping pictures of friends and family, beautiful landscapes, even the food we eat.

Who would guess that all this started at Lacock Abbey in 1835 – then home to William Henry Fox Talbot, Victorian polymath. Frustrated by his inability to paint and draw, he wanted to find a way to 'fix images'.

After some experiments Talbot took an image of a window at his home Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire in 1835. This image, not much bigger than a stamp, is now celebrated as the world’s earliest surviving photographic negative.

An early photograph of William Henry Fox Talbot
Early photograph of William Henry Fox Talbot who owned Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire
An early photograph of William Henry Fox Talbot

The Fox Talbot Museum and gallery at Lacock

The Fox Talbot Museum is housed in a sixteenth-century barn once used as stables. It tells the story of the birth of photography with objects and technology from the early years of photography, and hosts changing photography exhibitions in the Upper Gallery.

Through the museum, go back in time to see Fox Talbot's mousetrap camera and discover how photography came to be. Learn about the history of photography, the chemistry behind Talbot's process and find out how two men entered into a race to claim the title 'inventor of photography'.

The gallery at the Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock
The gallery at the Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock
The gallery at the Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock

Changing photography exhibitions

The Upper Gallery of the Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock has a programme of photography exhibitions. 

Until February 2022, you can see the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition, an astonishing collection of astrophotographs that demonstrate the extraordinary power of the medium created by William Henry Fox Talbot.