"Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, and is chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first person to realise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and is widely recognised for her contributions to early computing and mathematics. There are many paintings of her, but only three known photographs, and all three were recently put up for sale by Bonhams with an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000."
"It was wonderful to be involved in this important acquisition of the only known photographs of Ada Lovelace by the National Portrait Gallery via private treaty sale. Private Treaty Sales allow qualifying museums to acquire pre-eminent works of art or other objects from private owners for a 'special price', which reflects a tax incentive that is shared between the seller and the acquiring institution."
The National Portrait Gallery privately acquired the only known photographs of Ada Lovelace shortly before they were due to be sold to a private buyer. Only three photographs of Lovelace are known and all three had been offered by Bonhams with an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000 before being withdrawn. The acquisition was completed via a private treaty sale supported by Tim Lindholm and Lucy Gaylord Lindholm through the American Friends of the National Portrait Gallery. Bonhams noted that private treaty sales let qualifying museums obtain pre-eminent objects at a shared 'special price' reflecting a tax incentive. Two of the daguerreotypes are by Claudet and date from around 1843, the year Lovelace published her paper on Babbage's Analytical Engine describing the use of punched cards to calculate Bernoulli numbers.
Read at ianVisits
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]