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Elphinstone Agnes Maude barefoot
Clementina, Lady Hawarden, born 1822 - died 1865 - Enlarge image
Elphinstone Agnes Maude barefoot; Photographic Study
- Object:
Photograph
- Place of origin:
South Kensington, England (photographed)
- Date:
ca. 1859-1861 (photographed)
- Artist/Maker:
Clementina, Lady Hawarden, born 1822 - died 1865 (photographer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Photograph
- Credit Line:
Given by Lady Clementina Tottenham
- Museum number:
PH.457:311-1968
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This photograph appears to capture a child’s impulsive gesture. Perhaps Lady Hawarden noted it and then asked her daughter to re-enact it. In the days of wet collodion on glass negatives (1850s-1870s) setting up a photograph was a complex procedure. It was rather like setting up a cinematic shot. For this reason John Szarkowski has described the period as photography’s ‘conceptual’ era, because every photograph had to be planned in advance. Thus, Hawarden’s photograph of this apparently spontaneous childhood moment was deliberately arranged. It was also very skilfully executed.
