Julia Margaret Cameron
Photograph
ca. 1870
ca. 1870
| Artist/Maker |
Born in Calcutta, Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79) was the most flamboyant of seven sisters known for their sociability and artistic eccentricity. She moved to England in 1848 when her husband Charles Hay Cameron, a reformer of Indian law and education, retired. They eventually settled in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, where she later began making photographs.
Cameron was one of the most important and innovative photographers of the 19th century. Best known for her powerful portraits, she also posed her sitters – friends, family and servants – as characters from biblical, historical or allegorical stories.
Her photographs were rule-breaking: purposely out of focus, and often including scratches, smudges and other traces of the artist’s process. Cameron was criticised for her unconventional techniques, but also celebrated for the beauty of her compositions and her conviction in photography as an art form.
Cameron was one of the most important and innovative photographers of the 19th century. Best known for her powerful portraits, she also posed her sitters – friends, family and servants – as characters from biblical, historical or allegorical stories.
Her photographs were rule-breaking: purposely out of focus, and often including scratches, smudges and other traces of the artist’s process. Cameron was criticised for her unconventional techniques, but also celebrated for the beauty of her compositions and her conviction in photography as an art form.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Julia Margaret Cameron (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | carbon print |
| Brief description | Portrait of Julia Margaret Cameron by her son, Henry Herschel Hay Cameron, carbon print, ca. 1870 |
| Physical description | Portrait of Julia Margaret Cameron by her son. Mrs Cameron looks out to her right in the photograph. Mrs Cameron is sitting against a black background. She is wearing a black lace veil fastened with a silver clasp and an embroidered shawl which she holds with her left hand. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Transferred from the British Museum |
| Summary | Born in Calcutta, Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79) was the most flamboyant of seven sisters known for their sociability and artistic eccentricity. She moved to England in 1848 when her husband Charles Hay Cameron, a reformer of Indian law and education, retired. They eventually settled in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, where she later began making photographs. Cameron was one of the most important and innovative photographers of the 19th century. Best known for her powerful portraits, she also posed her sitters – friends, family and servants – as characters from biblical, historical or allegorical stories. Her photographs were rule-breaking: purposely out of focus, and often including scratches, smudges and other traces of the artist’s process. Cameron was criticised for her unconventional techniques, but also celebrated for the beauty of her compositions and her conviction in photography as an art form. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1217-2000 |
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| Record created | January 5, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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