This collection contains two series' of materials - the first is a collection of around 5,400 photographic salt prints, photoglyphs and negatives produced by Talbot during the development of his photographic process (dating approximately between 1840 and 1858, the majority of materials dating between 1842 and 1846). A full listing of these materials is available. This series includes images of Lacock Abbey,

The second series' of materials are some of Talbot's personal and professional papers. This series contains publications including The Pencil of Nature (the first commercially published book to contain photographic illustrations) and Sun Pictures in Scotland. Other publications in this series include papers given to the Royal Society. This part of the collection also includes a substantial amount of correspondence (c. 300 letters with individuals including J F W Herschel, J B Biot, D Brewster and A Claudet), Talbot's own notebooks and a large amount of notes and research into photogenic drawings, optics, crystallagraphy, spectroscopy, and other sciences. There are also some advertising materials relating to Talbot's publications, particularly The Pencil of Nature and Sun Pictures in Scotland.