Henry Fox Talbot 1844 (published) Westminster Abbey [The Pencil of Nature, Part 6, pl. 22]
Calotype Hans P. Kraus, Jr., Inc. Taken from the reproductions in Larry J. Schaaf, H. Fox Talbot's The Pencil of Nature; Anniversary Facsimile (New York: Hans P. Kraus, Jr. Inc., 1989). The originals selected for this publication were the best single examples available for each plate. Not to be reproduced without permission of H.P. Kraus, Jr.
The stately edifices of the British Metropolis too frequently assume from the influence of our smoky atmosphere such a swarthy hue as wholly to obliterate the natural appearance of the stone of which they are constructed. This sooty covering destroys all harmony of colour, and leaves only the grandeur of form and proportions.
This picture of Westminster Abbey is an instance of it; the facade of the building being strongly and somewhat capriciously darkened by the atmospheric influence.
H. Fox Talbot, The Pencil of Nature, (London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1844)
