WILLIAM HENRY FOX TALBOT (1800-1877) The Hungerford Suspension Bridge. Salted paper print from a calotype negative, the image measuring 6 5/8x8 3/8 inches (16.8x21.3 cm.), the sheet 7 1/4x9 inches (18.4x23 cm.). Circa 1842
Provenance: Marlborough Book Store, London
The newly completed iron bridge (1841-45) was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel who also built the Great Eastern. Here, it represents a powerful symbol of modernity when juxtaposed with the old boats on the Thames riverbank. In another nod to modernity, this bridge was torn down in 1859 to make way for the Charing Cross railroad bridge.
