Despite his early interest in Fox Talbot's experiments, this is the first photographic portrait of the 6th Duke of Devonshire, taken during one of the Duke's visits to his house in Kemp Town, Brighton.
Although there is no contemporary record of the session, its date can be assumed from a letter written to the 6th Duke by Charles Dickens on 29 October 1852, thanking the Duke for giving him a copy of the photograph.
