A few weeks ago, I sought inspiration at an exhibition at the National Gallery in London. The premise of the exhibition was simple: it illustrated how photographers have always drawn upon fine art traditions, such as Old Master painting, “to explore and justify the possibilities of their art”. It was the room containing the portraits that really grabbed my attention and before I knew it, I was scribbling notes about one particular photographer from the 19th century. I was vaguely familiar with her name, but I wanted to learn more about her.
Her name was Julia Margaret Cameron.
Cameron was unusual for many reasons: she was one of the first female photographers and she used her astute business sense and social networking skills to great effect. Born in 1815 into a well-known and wealthy family, she married Charles Hay Cameron, an official stationed in Ceylon who was twenty years her senior. They had six children (five sons and one daughter) and moved to London when her husband retired in 1848. During the early years of her marriage she enjoyed a busy social life and was particularly interested in poetry and literature, all of which was to help her later in her photographic career. Her friend Sir John Herschel, a famous astronomer, kept her up to date with the latest developments in photography, and at the tender age of 48 she was given a camera by her daughter. She quickly became obsessed with photography and within a year she had been elected a member of the Photographic Society in London.
Cameron and her husband visited the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson on the Isle of Wight, off England’s south coast, in 1860. Inspired by the location, they bought a property on the island in nearby Freshwater Bay, calling it Dimbola Lodge. Here, Cameron was able to focus on her photography, using the coal shed as her darkroom and the hen house as her studio. Tennyson was a charismatic figure with many influential friends. The artists, writers and intellectuals who visited him became known as the Freshwater Circle, and Cameron was the group’s unofficial photographer. Charles Darwin, Robert Browning and Henry W. Longfellow were among those she photographed and in some cases her images are the only photographic portraits of eminent historical figures. A canny businesswoman, she registered each of her photographs with the copyright office and kept meticulous records, which is one of the reasons so many of her photographs have survived. Here are her portraits of Tennyson and Darwin:
Using long exposures and soft focus, her images were often blurred, creating what she felt was a painterly effect. I loved reading that her children and others often tired of being endlessly photographed; I can only begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for them, as they had to sit still in the bright light, often for many hours, as Cameron handled each wet plate.
Many of her photographs feature her maid or her friends dressed in costumes, as with this little girl, and various patient relatives (including Virginia Woolf’s mother, Julia Prinsep Stephen, shown below). As her images became more fanciful, she posed groups of people in front of elaborate backdrops. Some of these photographic illustrations were eventually published with Tennyson’s poems.
Cameron and her husband were renowned for their generous hospitality, but as the income from their plantations in Ceylon dwindled, it could no longer sustain their extravagant lifestyle. In 1875 they packed up all their belongings, including two matching coffins, and returned to Ceylon. She took a few posed images of local people, but without her social gatherings to inspire her, and with photographic chemicals hard to come by, her photographic output declined. She died in 1879 after catching a chill.
I find Cameron truly inspiring on several levels. Born before photography had even been invented, she had to learn how to do it at a time when it was a complex and messy process. It makes me realise how fortunate we are with our modern digital cameras. What is even more impressive is that she achieved such success in a male-dominated era. I find myself imagining how difficult it must have been to get her friends and family to sit for her as she tried to achieve a specific effect or perfect a particular image. Perhaps most impressive is that she achieved so much even though she only started using a camera at the age of 48. Just imagine what fun this creative, gregarious woman would have had with modern camera gear and social-networking sites!
If you ever find yourself feeling frustrated that Polaroids can be a bit hit-and-miss and take half an hour to develop, or that you have to wait days for films to return from the processing lab, just think of Julia Margaret Cameron, and how much the world has changed. I’d love to hear who inspires you from the world of film photography or even before that time, like Julia Margaret Cameron. Please tell me in the comments; I’d love to see who’s been inspiring you.
all images sourced from wikimedia commons
i’ve read quite a bit about julia margaret cameron and am entranced by her photographs — from the formal portraits to the magical fantasy shots. i would have loved to see that exhibit with you kirstin.
my own grandmother was a pioneering photographer at the turn of the century. i wrote a little post about her on my 365 blog, and i love looking at her wonderful images.
http://eleganceofwords.blogspot.com/2010/09/day-262-of-365.html
Lucy, how wonderful to have a pioneering photographer, female at that in your family. Yes, I think you would have loved the exhibit too. Another time, no?
Fascinating!
Thank you Vanessa.
Brilliant piece, Kirstin! Julia Margaret Cameron’s work was a big influence on my portrait work when I first began studying photography. It still is. Other influential film photographers include Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Dorthea Lange, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank.
I am so enjoying finding out about these wonderful film photographers. Thank you for the tips!
Such an interesting post, Kirstin – thank you!
I have to look into Cameron’s illustrations of Tennyson’s poetry. I’ve been wanting to explore photography as illustrations of texts, and seeing that I love Tennyson, that should be right up my alley.
One film photographer I’ve been inspired by is Irish playwright J. M. Synge. He travelled on the west coast of Ireland around 1900, and since I’ve travelled to a lot of the same places myself, it’s been fascinating to be inspired by his work 100 years later: http://www.aran-isles.com/blog/2009/05/my-wallet-of-photographsj-m-sy.php
My goodness, I can totally see why you love his work. It’s stunning. I think you would love Cameron’s work on Tennyson. You should definitely check it out!
How fortunate to see Julia’s originals, Kirstin! She has long been a favorite of mine (I’ve mentioned her in a MM comment). I’ve enjoyed Helmut Gernsheim’s book, Julia Margaret Cameron – Her Life and Photographic Work.
For anyone that’s interested I quoted this book in a blog post of mine, in which Julia’s wet collodion process is described: http://vandemarkddesigns.blogspot.com/2012/04/fortunate.html
Indeed, the ease with which we are able to create photographic images is quite amazing!
I love that Cameron’s work has touched so many. And great post too, Anna! I can’t believe how technology has moved on.
Ooppss, a typo in my link.
http://vandemarkdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/04/fortunate.html
brilliant !
i found the portraits really stunning and so innovative for 19th century ..
Aren’t they just! You would never guess they were taken so very long ago.
i first learned about Julia Margaret Cameran in Annie Leibovitz’s book Pilgrimage where she went to the house on the Isle of Wight and photographed the space between Cameron’s hosue and Tennyson’s. So cool to think of her mastering a skill from something that was invented in her time. i used to think it was wild that my great-grandmother had been born before the model-T and airplanes! love this food for thought today!
I had no idea about Annie Liebowitz’s pilgrimage. I will definitely have to check that out! Thanks Holly. x
What a great post! Imagine what it must have been like to live in that time period in London with all of the creative types around! The female photographer who inspires me most is Sally Mann. I love her simplicity and daring. I am mostly inspired by a random song lyric, Renaissance Art, or snippets of conversations I happen to overhear.
Oh how I adore Sally Mann’s work. It’s so very timeless. What a wonderful song lyric too. Thank you.
Oh Kirstin, I just love this post so much, thank you for sharing Julia with us. I especially loved this part…”using the coal shed as her darkroom and the hen house as her studio”–she really made it work with what she had!
Thank you Christy. She was quite a remarkable woman and must have been quite formidable in her time!
Love this, Kirstin. I have not explored her photos before. I’d love to see something like this — exploring great photographers — as a regular feature here on MM.
I’d love that too Deirdre!
I did a talk for my son’s third grade class on Dorthea Lange and was fascinated to learn what a pioneering spirit she was as well. Knew she wanted to be a photographer and essentially forced a NYC portrait photographer to take her as an apprentice. Then she went to San Fran and built an entire business on her own before the Great Depression hit. There are some great biographies about her. And socially she was a maverick as she left her artist husband to remarry.