JULIA MARGRET CAMERON AND THE

INTELLECTUAL PORTRAIT
Art History Research Paper
Pauline Mwangi

Introduction
During the 1850s photography was not considered an art, viewed as a competition that
threatened the high position of art. Many people never respected it; some called the
photographers as people u never had talent to create their own artistic work. The camera was
not seen as art because it was not considered to be a production of man but of a machine.
Suddenly during the 1860s, photography was then declared an art. Unfortunately, some
photographers would retouch their photographs to make it look like a painting. This is where
the group called the Pre-Raphaelite come in. This was a group of many artists who were
against how the British arts were low standards. Many photographers supported and were
influenced with some their principles they followed. Some of these photographers were
criticised for how they took their photographers. Two of the photographers who were largely
influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and were criticised and that are going to be discussed in this
paper are; Julia Margaret Cameron and Lewis Carroll. This where the question whether Julia
Margaret and Lewis Carroll were truly appreciated for the work they did as artist?
Ekphrases
Sir John Herschel (Fig 1). The interesting fact about this image is that, the subject is
facing another direction. Sir John Herschel seems to be lost in thoughts. He seems clam while
gazing at something. The lighting brings out every detail in his face. Julia Margaret was
known for bringing her camera close to her subjects which would bring out the inner qualities
of her subjects. This is shown in John Herschels portrait. It looks as though she wanted to
bring out the spiritual aspect in him. Also directing him on way to face shows that she wanted
it to look as natural as possible.

Irene MacDonald (fig 2). Lewis Carroll was known for his interest in little girls. In this
image Irene MacDonald looks like she is self-absorbed and is aware of the whole situation.
She is dressed up as an adult. Her face brings out the innocence in children which Lewis
Carroll learnt from the Pre-Raphaelites. She seems to be clam and comfortable as Lewis
Carroll takes an image of her. Many young girls would come to him to be photographed while
they enjoyed his stories.
Analysis
Julia Margaret Cameron and Lewis Carroll were both criticised for different reasons.
During that time, photography was not appreciated as much as paintings and I think, if any
photographer did something than what was expected were criticised or either some people
would not appreciate what some of their goals were. As mentioned by Hirsch, Cameron did
not like editing her photographers. She followed the Pre-Raphaelites who saw evil in
industrialisation. Cameron was not ignorant of standard methods, but she chose to go her
own way making other consider blunders part of her style. She did what she liked best not
caring what others would say about her work.
Today it is very hard to appreciate what a formidable task Mrs Cameron undertook
when she decided to express herself through photography,i By Van Deren Coke. Coke tries
to show how Camerons images are still not appreciated today. He tries to show how some
people find it hard to understand the motive of her work. Sara Stevenson mentions how
Cameron was a woman who was not just influenced by her contemporaries but could build
images on her ideas and could influence them in her turn.ii This is interesting because other
authors speak of how Julia Margaret if one the most celebrated artist women in history of
photography. Some celebrate how her portraits were amazing and no could defeat her. As

mentioned above her in her portrait of Sir John Herschel, she was aiming to bring the inner
qualities of her subjects.
Julia Margaret followed almost every principle the Pre-Raphaelites followed. The PreRaphaelites also like the idea of bring out spiritual and biblical characters in their
photographs. Cameron did the same by taking images of her relatives and friends and made
them pose as though they were characters of a play. She would later give them gifts. She was
also known for kindness and writing of many letters to her guests. Through the influence of
the Pre-Raphaelites she made her portraits be as natural and spiritual as possible. This shows
how many people have not come to appreciate the work of Julia Margaret Cameron.
Lewis Carroll who was also influenced the Pre-Raphaelitism of Julia Margaret was
also criticised for doing something the society did not see as normal. Hirsch mentions that
Lewis Carroll was criticised for photographing young girls nude. He was criticised for how
his photographs of young girls brought out a sexual suggestion. Patricia Meyer Spacks
suggest that if Carroll was to violate the tender purity of one of these young children, he
would have broken faith with God and with himself.iii This shows how Lewis Carroll was a
very spiritual man and he had no bad intentions for taking photographs for young girls.
Spacks later states, In Lewis came together a wavering godliness and a deep aesthetic
adoration for the nature of childhood. This also connects to reason why he was influenced by
the Pre-Raphaelites ideals of feminine innocence and virgin beauty.iv
Lewis Carroll is also known as the author of Alices adventure in wonderland and
looking through the glass. He was later interested in photography and started taking
photographs of children. He would entertain children through telling stories and writing
letters. Some authors mention how his letters were full of nonsense and did not make sense.
Others mention that his main purpose was to write to children.

Conclusion
From the above analysis, Julia Cameron and Lewis Carroll had their own way of
expressing themselves which people did not view it as normal rather they criticised them.
Interestingly, both Cameron and Carroll continued with what they liked best even after going
through all those hardships. Later they both become famous people for their unique works. As
a result of this research, how would artist make people view their work differently and in a
positive way, without being criticised negatively?

Van Deren Coke, ed., One Hundred Years of Photograhic HIstory (n.p.: Univesity of New Mexico Press,
1975), [Page 70].
ii
Sara Stevenson, "Julia Margaret Cameron Sheffield," The Burlington Magazine 126, no. 977 (August 1984):
[Page 519], http://www.jstor.org/stable/881673.
iii
Patricia Meyer Spacks, "The Letters of Lewis Carroll by Lewis Carroll: Morton N. Cohen," The Huduson
Review 33, no. 2 (1980): [Page 28], http://www.jstor.org/stable/3850246.
iv
Hirsch Robert, Seizing the light A Social History of photography, (McGraw Hill: New York, 2009), [ page 97]

Fig 1

Sir John Herschel

Fig 2

Irene MacDonald

Annotated Bibliography
Joanne Lukitsh. Cameron, Julia Margret, Grove Art Online. Oxford Art.
Oxfordiversity Press, accessed October 20 2013,
http://www.oxfordonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T013434
Cameron was a photographer and writer. She grew up in Calcutta and educated by her
grandmother in France and England. She got married to Charles Hay Cameron in 1838. She
raised six children and she also wrote poetry and a novel. She was given her first in 1864 to
keep her occupied. Photography was not a common amateur recreation in the 1860s. She was
inspired by the fancy dress portrait photography taken in 1863 by the English painter David
Willkie Wynfield (1837-87). Cameron inscribed her photography as from life and refused to
retouch defects on the negative. She placed her works for the public to view and maybe to
achieve sales and recognition. She did not intend to earn a living from her work but hoped
some of the money earned will help her familys finances.
Wolf, Sylvia. "Julia Magret Cameron's Women." The Women's Review of Books 16,
no. 3 (December 1998): 6-7. Accessed October 20, 2013. http://www.jstor.org/
stable/4023140.
Camerons photography of women look like fashion models. She made her
photography between 1863 and 1875, years that produced what Phyllis Rose calls one of the
greatest outpouring in the history of art. She made portraits of the men she believed were the
most accomplished of her upper-middle-class. Many of the people she photographed were
members of her extended family or households. The more one looks at Camerons work, the
more the people she photographed appear vividly individual and yet at the same time as

embodiment of qualities and values greater than any singles person. She believed photography
was an art not a science and that the highest values of art went beyond technical
considerations.