Abstract
Abstract The reasons why, after a period of some 15 years, the competition between the calotype and the daguerreotype processes ended in the victory of the latter technique are well known today. In spite of the obvious advantages of the positive-negative method, the public in the early days showed little enthusiasm for the broad tonalities and the matte shades of the paper image, and manifestly preferred the brilliant detail reproduced on the metal surface1,2. Moreover, Fox Talbot tenaciously held on to his rights in the calotype patent for which he had applied in England in 18413-5. The filing of the patent, together with Fox Talbot's reluctance to publish detailed working instructions, exerted a paralyzing influence upon the willingness of other experimenters to explore the new field. Fox Talbot tried to introduce his new method in different countries, including Belgium, twice submitting several calotypes to Adolphe Quetelet6, Secretary of the Royal Belgian Academy7,8. However, these steps taken by Fox ...
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