William Henry Fox Talbot and
the Promise of Photography

For the exhibition William Henry Fox Talbot and the Promise of Photography, I worked closely with Dan Leers, curator of photography at Carnegie Museum of Art, on the development, design, and production of all didactic texts and object labels as well as the show’s beautiful, small-format book. Published by the museum, the book features an introductory essay by Leers and thematic groupings elucidated by noted Talbot scholar Larry Schaaf.

Early on we decided that the look and feel of the exhibition would echo the aesthetic of the catalogue. We found an excellent design partner in Beverly Joel of pulp, ink. She helped us strike the perfect balance between the Victorian period that Talbot embodied and the delicate beauty of the scientist turned artist’s salt prints.

Working alongside Dan Leers and Marilyn Russell, the museum’s director of education, I helped devise interpretive strategies that guided how the didactic texts and object labels for the exhibition would be crafted. In addition to project-managing all editorial and design elements, I edited all in-gallery texts. Included below is a closer look at the book and exhibition.