Request to view

This object can be requested via email from the Prints & Drawings Study Room

Madonna and Two Children

Photograph
1864 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Julia Margaret Cameron's mentor and friend, the artist G.F. Watts wrote to Cameron, ‘Please do not send me valuable mounted copies … send me any … defective unmounted impressions, I shall be able to judge just as well & shall be just as much charmed with success & shall not feel that I am taking money from you.’ This is one of approximately 67 in the V&A's collection that was recently discovered to have belonged to him. Many are unique, which suggests that Cameron was not fully satisfied with them. Some may seem ‘defective’ but others are enhanced by their flaws. All of them contribute to our understanding of Cameron’s working process and the photographs that did meet her standards.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMadonna and Two Children (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative.
Brief description
Photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Madonna and Two Children' (sitters Alice Keown, Mary Hillier, Elizabeth Keown), albumen print, 1864
Physical description
A photograph of a woman (Mary Hillier) posed as Madonna with two young girls (Alice Keown and Elizabeth Keown).
Dimensions
  • Image height: 23.5cm
  • Image width: 18cm
  • Mount height: 58cm
  • Mount width: 38cm
Style
Credit line
Given by Mrs Margaret Southam, 1941
Subjects depicted
Summary
Julia Margaret Cameron's mentor and friend, the artist G.F. Watts wrote to Cameron, ‘Please do not send me valuable mounted copies … send me any … defective unmounted impressions, I shall be able to judge just as well & shall be just as much charmed with success & shall not feel that I am taking money from you.’ This is one of approximately 67 in the V&A's collection that was recently discovered to have belonged to him. Many are unique, which suggests that Cameron was not fully satisfied with them. Some may seem ‘defective’ but others are enhanced by their flaws. All of them contribute to our understanding of Cameron’s working process and the photographs that did meet her standards.
Associated object
PH.254-1982 (Version)
Bibliographic references
  • Ford, Colin and Cox, Julian. Julia Margaret Cameron: The Complete Photographs. London: Thames and Hudson, 2003. Cat. no. 69, p.149, ill.
  • Taken from Photography Department index card catalogue
Collection
Accession number
PH.341-1981

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdApril 22, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest