William Henry Fox Talbot’s Photographs at the Kórnik Library
William Henry Fox Talbot’s Photographs at the Kórnik Library

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines eight calotype process specimens made by the British photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, now part of the Polish Academy of Sciences Kórnik Library collections. By retracing connections between Władysław Zamoyski and the Talbot family from the 1830s, it highlights how Zamoyski entered Talbot’s circle and how this facilitated the circulation of paper photographs among the Polish cultural and political elite in the 1840s. Furthermore, the article underscores the critical role of political mediators, such as diplomats and generals, in the early diffusion of paper photography in Central Europe. In this context, particular attention is given to Talbot’s uncle, the diplomat William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, who maintained close contact with Zamoyski and, through his diplomatic channels, helped disseminate prints of Talbot’s process across Europe.

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