Julia Margaret Cameron
Photography as a new form of art emerged at the end of the thirties in the XIX century. However, despite its democratic nature, the women who became famous photographers are mostly featured only in the XX century. In the XIX century, many professions were banned for women, even more - many people believed that a woman could not be a full-fledged and independent creator. A woman was a muse, at most - an assistant. Many women put up with this state of affairs and were just running the household.
For this reason, only few women were photography pioneers. Among them is Julia Margaret Cameron (1815 – 1879) and it was not until she was 48 that she firstly took the camera.
For this reason, only few women were photography pioneers. Among them is Julia Margaret Cameron (1815 – 1879) and it was not until she was 48 that she firstly took the camera.
Julia Margaret Cameron
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«From the first moment I handled my lens with a tender ardour. The camera has become to me, a living thing, with voice, memory and a creative vigour».
Julia Cameron was born in India to an East India Company official and a French aristocrat. She spent her youth in France. In 1838 she married Charles Cameron and they later moved to England. Charles held a high position in the English administration in Calcutta and owned huge coffee plantations in Ceylon.
The family grew rapidly - Julia gave birth to 6 children, and later they adopted six more. Their growing sons were actively involved in their father’s business, and their daughters were successfully marring one by one.
The family grew rapidly - Julia gave birth to 6 children, and later they adopted six more. Their growing sons were actively involved in their father’s business, and their daughters were successfully marring one by one.
Many contemporaries noted that Julia had behavior that was considered improper for a married woman of that time - she was extremely businesslike, managing problems of her friends in addition to household chores. She helped writers to find sponsors, also wrote and published poetry herself, and often was acting strangely.
She could suddenly, in the absence of a guest of her house, cut through a window in his/her room or visiting other people could decorate furniture in their house and making other odd things.
She did not care much about what people said behind her back. She was saved from attacks by her noble origins, intelligence, and erudition, so all her strange antics were attributed to eccentricity, and eccentricity among upper class was tolerated.
In 1860, the large family moved to the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. However, beingwoman of society Julia quickly got bored of the island. Moreover, in 1863 her husband and eldest sons moved to Ceylon to run the plantation business. Financial hardship, separation from the family and the monotonous life on the island led Julia Cameron into a depression. At this time, one of her daughters gave her a camera for Christmas, hoping to distract her mother from sad thoughts.
This was a life-changing event that divided Julia Cameron's life into “before” and “after”. Actually, there was nothing unusual about the gift, bored housewives often bought cameras and learned the basics of photography on their own.
The phrase “wet collodion process” could be heard from anyone who was lucky enough to have a camera at the time. Collodion was used as a binder and a photographer had to have a dark room and a studio on hand.
Her career as a photographer lasted only 11 years, but during that time she created more than 900 photographs depicting not only her numerous relatives, but also British intellectual elite with Robert Browning, Dante Rossetti and Charles Darwin among them. Cameron set up a laboratory in a barn and a studio in a chicken coop. Julia often ironized about this:
She could suddenly, in the absence of a guest of her house, cut through a window in his/her room or visiting other people could decorate furniture in their house and making other odd things.
She did not care much about what people said behind her back. She was saved from attacks by her noble origins, intelligence, and erudition, so all her strange antics were attributed to eccentricity, and eccentricity among upper class was tolerated.
In 1860, the large family moved to the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. However, beingwoman of society Julia quickly got bored of the island. Moreover, in 1863 her husband and eldest sons moved to Ceylon to run the plantation business. Financial hardship, separation from the family and the monotonous life on the island led Julia Cameron into a depression. At this time, one of her daughters gave her a camera for Christmas, hoping to distract her mother from sad thoughts.
This was a life-changing event that divided Julia Cameron's life into “before” and “after”. Actually, there was nothing unusual about the gift, bored housewives often bought cameras and learned the basics of photography on their own.
The phrase “wet collodion process” could be heard from anyone who was lucky enough to have a camera at the time. Collodion was used as a binder and a photographer had to have a dark room and a studio on hand.
Her career as a photographer lasted only 11 years, but during that time she created more than 900 photographs depicting not only her numerous relatives, but also British intellectual elite with Robert Browning, Dante Rossetti and Charles Darwin among them. Cameron set up a laboratory in a barn and a studio in a chicken coop. Julia often ironized about this:
«The profit of my boys upon new laid eggs was stopped, and all hands and hearts sympathised in my new labour, since the society of hens and chickens was soon changed for that of poets, prophets, painters and lovely maidens, who all in turn have immortalized the humble little farm erection».
Cameron's legacy can be divided into two main parts: portraits and staged scenes. Her portraits were very different from the one’s of her contemporaries, she used atypical close-ups and tight cropping, and an aura of mystery was achieved through dark backgrounds, sparse lighting and draping the models in black cloth. The staged scenes were always narrative and were allusions to famous biblical, Shakespearean and medieval characters.
In 1873 Julia Cameron and the rest of her family moved to Ceylon. This departure basically ended her career in photography. Hot climate, lots of insects and reagents made it increasingly difficult to work and soon Miss Cameron stopped making photographs. She died in Ceylon at the age of 63 from a cold.
Her unusual technique was an inspiration for many people. Preraphaelites expressed their admiration for Cameron’s works appreciating her mystic images. Julia Margaret Cameron's legacy lives on to this day and exhibitions including her works are often organized both in Russia and abroad.
Her unusual technique was an inspiration for many people. Preraphaelites expressed their admiration for Cameron’s works appreciating her mystic images. Julia Margaret Cameron's legacy lives on to this day and exhibitions including her works are often organized both in Russia and abroad.