Talbot emphasized the practical implications of his images (for instance, "The whole cabinet of a Virtuoso and collector of old China might be depicted on paper in little more time than it would take him to make a written inventory describing it in the usual way.
Talbot stressed the tangible benefits of his pictorial works (for example, "The comprehensive holdings of a Virtuoso and collector of old China could be illustrated on paper faster than creating an exhaustive written inventory listing them conventionally."