Julia Margret Cameron

By Louise Crux

Julia Margaret Cameron was born Julia Margaret Pattle in Calcutta, India, on June 11th 1815 to James Pattle, a British official of the East India Company, and Adeline de l'Etang, a daughter of French aristocrats. Julia was from a family of celebrated beauties, and was considered herself an ugly duckling among her sisters. Julia was educated in France, however she returned to India and got married to Charles Hay Cameron in 1838 who was a jurist (a person who has thorough knowledge and experience of law especially a high ranking judge, lawyer, or legal scholar.) and a member of the law commission which was stationed in Calcutta. Julia’s career in photography was short as it lasted from 1864 – 1875, making her career 11 years. At the age of 48 which was a late age in which to take up photography, when she was given a camera as a present. Her style wasn’t completely accepted in her own day, however her work has had a huge impact on photographers today, mostly her closely cropped portraits. Her house named Dimbola Lodge, on the Isle of Wight is open to the public. Her inspirations where members of her family especially her niece. The pictures that I have chosen the way they I think they tell stories is through the emotion on their faces which can tell many different stories which can be interpreted.

This is my favorite picture by Julia because I like the intimacy between the two girls and their father/uncle/grandfather and expresses their affection for one another. And it’s in the era of the Victorian period and that’s one of my favorite time periods apart from the Edwardian, Georgian, Tudor and Elizabethan era.