John Moffat (1819-1894)

John Moffat (1819-1894)

PRINCE ALFRED, THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, c.1862, carbon print on opal glass, image size, 110 x 85mm, housed in a red leather side hinged case. Perhaps a reserve John Moffat made at the same time he was corresponding with William Henry Fox Talbot regarding experimental engravings.

The Correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot

Document No: 8980

[printed notepaper:]
Photographic Establishment
103 Princes Street
Edinburgh

21 June 1865

H. Fox Talbot Esq.

Dear Sir

I duly received your letter and I shall be most happy to send you a glass impression of Prince Alfred’s portrait for the purpose of your experiments in printing engraving. I hope to be able to manage this by tomorrow or next day – I am not sure whether it sh^d be done upon plain clear glass or on opal glass a new material very good for transparencies and such as I think might suit your purpose – I shall at all events send you a small specimen of this that you may see if it will be likely to answer

I am Dear Sir Yours very truly
John Moffat

[envelope:]
H. Fox Talbot Esq
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham

A Photoglyphic printing plate and impression, from this sitting, and discussed in the above correspondence, appeared in Hans Kraus Jr. Catalogue 12. This transparency may well have also been produced by Moffat on the request of Talbot.