[Portrait Painting of Barbara Slingsby, propped up in the Cloisters Courtyard at Lacock Abbey]

Nicolaas Henneman was actually a Dutch-born English photographer, born in the Netherlands on 11 January 1813 and died on 21 January 1898. Henneman is best known for his association with the inventor of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot. He played an important role in the early development and popularisation of photography in the 19th century. Henneman initially worked as Talbot's valet, but soon became involved in experiments with the calotype process, an early photographic technique developed by Talbot. The calotype process used a light-sensitive paper to create a negative image, which could then be used to create multiple positive prints. As well as working with Talbot, Henneman ran his own photographic studio in Reading, England. He produced calotype portraits and landscapes and contributed to the development of photography as an art form. His studio was an important centre for early photography and he worked with several prominent figures of the time. Nicolaas Henneman's contributions to the field of photography, both as a collaborator with Talbot and as an independent practitioner, have had a lasting impact on the history of this visual medium.