7. Back to where it all started, Lacock Abbey

In 1835 William Henry Fox Talbot produced the earliest known negative of 'The Latticed Window' at his home in Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire UK. My plan is to go back and reproduce it with my 100yr old No.1A Autographic Kodak camera. The original negative is tiny, just slightly larger than a postage stamp. I'm hoping mine will be a bit bigger than that!

First we walk around the Fox Talbot Museum, a veritable feast of vintage cameras, images and information detailing the history of photography. I can't help but be drawn to the Kodaks similar to mine, meeting the cousins is definitely one for the family album.

In one display case, a particular camera sparks a new project idea. No harm in having more than one thing on the go. Guess which one!

I'm fascinated by the range of cameras on display in the museum, everything from the very earliest wooden box to modern digital cameras.

Then it's just a short walk to the house itself, where I soon spot a huge wooden door in a stone archway, which lends itself to testing my camera on capturing detail.

We then enter the house, where the lovely National Trust people are interested in what I'm doing with a vintage camera mounted on a modern tripod. Most of the photos I take in the house are completely useless, because I'm so distracted that I forget to wind the film on between shots, creating a few multiple exposures, oops! But one picture of a room creates a pleasing image, despite the low light. It's an interesting experiment because taking photos towards a window is always tricky, even with a modern DSLR, and I'm totally guessing the shutter speed and aperture.

Finally we get to the long hall where the latticed window is located. It's easy to spot because everyone is stopping to take their own photos of it! A few people stop to comment on my No.1A Autographic Kodak, it's lovely that other people are also interested in these vintage cameras. Even with a modern tripod, it takes a little while to set up the camera and get it into a position where I can capture most of the window (and see what I'm supposed to be photographing in the viewfinder at the same time). I suppose William Henry Fox Talbot didn't have to worry about other people passing or making sure he didn't knock the walls or furniture!

There is no way of knowing whether I've recreated the original 1835 image successfully until I get home and process the film. But two days later I get to find out. So here are my versions of The Latticed Window, 2021, with my No.1A Autographic Kodak from the 1920s.