Expert who thought famous Leaf photograph was world's oldest and so valued for millions reveals its real creator - meaning it's not worth very much at all 

  • Previous theories suggested picture could have dated back to the 1790s
  • But expert now believes it was taken by previously unknown Bristol woman
  • The image is 176 years old and was captured in 1839 by Sarah Anne Bright

By Julian Robinson for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

The creator of the famous Leaf photograph, once believed to have been taken in the late 18th century, has been revealed - and it is not the world's oldest after all.

It had previously been suggested that the picture had been taken by photography pioneers William Henry Fox Talbot or, even earlier, by Thomas Wedgwood.

But now it has been revealed that a previously unknown woman, Sarah Anne Bright, from Bristol, captured the image 176 years ago.

Experts believe the Leaf photograph (pictured) was taken by Sarah Anne Bright in 1839
Experts believe the Leaf photograph was taken by Sarah Anne Bright (pictured) in 1839

Experts believe the Leaf photograph (pictured left) was taken by Sarah Anne Bright (right, depicted in a silhouette) in 1839

There was a media storm in 2008 when it was suggested that the red picture may not have been taken by Fox Talbot (1800 - 1877) in the 1830s as previously thought.

Photography expert Professor Larry Schaaf suggested it may in fact have been taken 30 years earlier by Thomas Wedgwood, a member of the china-making family, who was known to have experimented with photography in the 1790s, while living in Bristol. 

At the time, it was reported that the image, created by laying a leaf on light-sensitive paper and exposing it to the sun, would be worth millions.

However, according to the Independent, an expert now believes he has traced the identity of the true photographer - Sarah Anne Bright (1793 - 1866) - after inscriptions on the picture matched similar markings on some of her paintings.

The leaf image was last sold by Sotheby's in 1984 and snapped up by a New York art dealer. 

Until then, the leaf was in an album belonging to descendants of Henry Bright (1784-1869), a Bristol MP, arts patron, and friend of Wedgwood.

Five other photogenic drawings from the album were sold in 1984, of which four also bear a 'W'.

It had previously been suggested that the picture had been taken by photography pioneers William Henry Fox Talbot or, even earlier, by Thomas Wedgwood (pictured)
It had previously been suggested that the picture had been taken by photography pioneers William Henry Fox Talbot (pictured) or, even earlier, by Thomas Wedgwood

It had previously been suggested that the picture had been taken by photography pioneers William Henry Fox Talbot (right) or, even earlier, by Thomas Wedgwood (left)

The first-ever photograph was previously thought to be that of a window at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire produced by Fox Talbot in 1835.

Although surviving letters show Wedgwood advised others on photography as early as the 1790s, none of his experiments have ever been located. 

It was photography expert Professor Larry Schaaf who, seven years ago, suggested that the image may have been taken by Wedgwood.

The Independent reports that he has since stressed this was only a 'theory' and that he was unprepared for the huge interest that followed.

Prof Schaaf, director of the William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné, an online resource of the Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University, contacted members of the Bright family around the world and examined archives before reaching his conclusion.

Of the Leaf photograph, he told the Independent: 'These days we only have a tiny handful of examples, and those like this with a good pedigree and this good condition are very rare.'

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