A COLLECTION of early photographic technology and images is being transferred from the British Film Institute to the Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock.

The collection comprises hundreds of cameras, optical devices and toys from the 18th century to the late 1980s as well as nearly 3,500 photographic images ranging from the earliest processes through to the first part of the 20th century.

The James Fenton collection was assembled by James Fenton in the second half of the 20th century and acquired by the Museum of the Moving Image, which closed in 1999.

Following a successful display at the Fox Talbot Museum showcasing treasures from the collection, the formal transfer has been agreed to promote the preservation and enjoyment of these items within a unique context.

The move connects the collection to a crucial moment in the history of British photography, and the landscape and architecture from which the art form emerged.

The Fox Talbot Museum, in the grounds of Lacock Abbey, celebrates the achievement of William Henry Fox Talbot, who took the first photographic negative at the abbey in 1835 and invented the Calotype process – which paved the way for photographic processes on film in the 20th century.

Roger Watson, curator of the Fox Talbot Museum, said: “We are very grateful to the British Film Institute. The transfer will offer a significant improvement in our ability to tell our core story of the birth of photography and will be a visual feast for our visitors.”

This collection will provide new resources, allowing the museum to further expand its offer and celebrate its national significance as Britain’s birthplace of photography.

The collection contains approximately 4,500 items including cameras, equipment, images and related materials from late 18th-century pre-photographic optical devices through early 20th century objects and images representing the entire history of photography prior to the digital age.

It contains extremely rare examples of pre-photographic technology and early cameras and images. As a whole, it is judged to be of international significance.

Grant applications to fund cataloguing, interpretation and archival storage of the collection are underway to ensure that this collection will be cared and presented for the nation, for ever, for everyone.

For more information about the Fox Talbot Museum, visit the Lacock website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock