In 1874 Alfred Tennyson, the poet laureate, commissioned Julia Margaret Cameron to create the first ever photographic illustrations for his collection 'Idylls of the King and Other Poems' (1859-88), based on the medieval legends of King Arthur. Cameron's taste for tableaux vivants, a kind of costumed enactment carried out for amusement, imbued this series with the look and feel of a theatrical performance. For this poem, Cameron focuses on the its dramatic climax in Vivien casting a spell over the legendary wizard.
Physical description
A photograph of a woman (Agnes Mangles) standing with long loose hair and her face in profile, point at a robed, bearded man (Charles Hay Cameron).
Place of Origin
England, Great Britain (photographed)
Date
1874 (Photographed)
Artist/maker
Julia Margaret Cameron, born 1815 - died 1879 (photographer)
Materials and Techniques
Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative
Dimensions
height: 320 mm image, width: 265 mm image, height: 430 mm mount, width: 330 mm mount
Object history note
Originally part of a bound folio volume containing 11 photographs by Cameron (two photographs are missing, the frontispiece image of Tennyson and the last image, 'The Passing of Arthur'). One of two albums of illustrations to Tennyson's 'Idylls of the King and other Poems' published by Henry S. King & Co., 1874-75). Each photograph is mounted on bluish mounts with gilt borders.
Descriptive line
'Photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Vivien and Merlin' (sitters Agnes Mangles, Charles Hay Cameron), albumen print, 1874
Labels and date
In 1874 Alfred Tennyson, the poet laureate, commissioned Julia Margaret Cameron to create the first ever photographic illustrations for his collection Idylls of the King and Other Poems (1859-88), based on the medieval legends of King Arthur. Cameron's taste for tableaux vivants, a kind of costumed enactment carried out for amusement, imbued this series with the look and feel of a theatrical performance. For this poem, Cameron focuses on the its dramatic climax in Vivien casting a spell over the legendary wizard.
Cameron illustrated Tennyson's Idylls of the King, at the poet's request, for a twelve volume trade edition of his work. Her large photographs were published as wood-cut copies, much-reduced in size, and she decided to produce an edition illustrated by original photographic prints like this one, faced with hand-written extracts from the Idylls printed in facsimile. The relevant text is also exhibited here:
For Merlin overtalk'd and overworn
Had yielded, told her all the charm and slept. And lost to life and use
Then in the moment, she put forth the charm
Of woven paces and of waving hands
And in the hollow oak he lay as dead,
And lost to life and use, and name and fame.
Associated names
Alfred Tennyson
Materials
Photographic paper
Techniques
Albumen process
Subjects depicted
Costume; Magicians; Cameron, Charles Hay; Merlin; Mangles, Agnes
Categories
Photographs
Collection code
PDP
