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Talbot was the only child of William Davenport Talbot, of Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire, and of Lady Elizabeth Fox Strangways, daughter of the 2nd earl of Ilchester. He was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he gained the Person prize in 1820, and graduated as twelfth wrangler in 1821. From 1822 to 1872 he frequently communicated papers to the Royal SocietyThe Royal Society of London is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence and was founded in 1660. The Royal Irish Academy, founded in 1782, is also closely affiliated with it. The Royal Society of Edinburgh (founded 1783) is a separate S, many of them on mathematical subjects. At an early period he had begun his optical researches, which were to have such important results in connection with photography. To the Edinburgh Journal of Science in 1826Events February 11 University College London is founded, under the name University of London''. April 1 Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine. June 14- 15 The Auspicious Incident: Mahmud II, sultan of Ottoman Empire, crushes the last mutiny he contributed a paper on " Some Experiments on Colored Flame "; to the Quarterly Journal of Science in 1827Events February 20 Battle of Huzaingo February 28 The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad offering commercial transportation of both people and freight. March 7 Ellen Turner is abducted The Shrigley Abduction case begins a paper on " Monochromatic Light "; and to the Philosophical Magazine a number of papers on chemical subjects, including one on " Chemical Changes of Color."

Before Louis DaguerreLouis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre ( 1787 1851) was the French artist and chemist who is recognized for his invention of the Daguerreotype process of photography. He announced its perfection after years of experimentation in 1839, with the French Academy of Sci exhibited in 1839Events January 9 The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process. January 19 British East India Company captures Aden January 20 In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats a Peruvian and Bolivian alliance. February 24 William Ot pictures taken by the sun, Talbot had obtained similar success, and as soon as Daguerre's discoveries became known communicated the results of his experiments to the Royal Society. In 18411841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events January 26 The United Kingdom occupies Hong Kong. Later during the year, the first census of the island recorded a population of about 7,500. February 18 The first ongoing f he made known his discovery of the calotypeThe Calotype was an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Fox Talbot, using paper sheets covered with silver chloride. The image was fixed in strong salt solution potassium iodide of hypo. It may be briefly described as the application or talbotype process, and after the discovery of the collodion processThe collodion process is an early photographic process which gave way in the late 19th century to today's gelatin emulsion process. It was invented by Frederick Scott Archer in 1848 and developed further by others. The original idea In 1864 W. Bolton and by Frederick Scott Archer in 1851 he devised a method of instantaneous photography. For his discoveries, which are detailed in his Pencil of Nature ( 1844), he received in 1842 the Rumford medal of the Royal Society. In 1843- 44, he set up his establishment in Baker Street, Reading where he remained for three years.

While engaged in his scientific researches he devoted much time to archaeology. He published Hermes, or Classical and Antiquarian Researches ( 1838- 39), and Illustrations of the Antiquity of the Book of Genesis ( 1839). With Sir Henry Rawlinson and Dr Edward Hincks he shares the honour of having been one of the first decipherers of the cuneiform inscriptions of Nineveh. He was also the author of English Etymologies ( 1846). He died at Lacock Abbey.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica