Dandelion Seeds. Artist: William Henry Fox Talbot (British, Dorset 1800-1877 Lacock). Dimensions: Sheet: 15.1 x 11.3 cm (5 15/16 x 4 7/16 in.)Plate: 12.5 x 9.4 cm (4 15/16 x 3 11/16 in.)Image: 10.5 x 7.6 cm (4 1/8 x 3 in.). Date: 1858 or later.This experimental proof is a fine example of the capacity of Talbot's "photoglyphic engraving" to produce photographic results that could be printed on a press, using printer's ink-a more permanent process than photographs made with light and chemicals. Like Talbot's earliest photographic examples, the image here was photographically transferred to the copper engraving plate by laying the seeds directly on the photosensitized plate and exposing it to light, without the aid of a camera. Equally reminiscent of Talbot's early experiments, this image is part of Talbot's lifelong effort to apply his various photographic inventions to the field of botany. In a letter tipped into the Bertoloni Album, Talbot wrote, "Je crois que ce nouvel art de mon