Saturday, November 26, 2016

Julia Margaret Cameron at the Ashmolean Museum II

Julia Margaret Cameron
An Eastern Scene (Lady Dalrymple (Sophia Ricketts) and unidentified gentleman)
ca. 1860s
Ashmolean Museum

At the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford many of the photographic prints by Julia Margaret Cameron manifest the orange tones seen here. This is a distracting color rather than an attractive color, yet the absolute unreflecting conviction that animated Mrs. Cameron's every move makes something fascinating, like chemical alchemy, even out of this hyper-sepia finish.

Julia Margaret Cameron
Girl praying (Florence Anson)
1866
Ashmolean Museum

Julia Margaret Cameron
Sir Henry Taylor
1867
Ashmolean Museum

Julia Margaret Cameron
Honourable Frank Charteris
1867
Ashmolean Museum

Julia Margaret Cameron
Lord Justice James
1870
Ashmolean Museum

Julia Margaret Cameron
Beatrice Cenci (May Prinsep)
1870
Ashmolean  Museum

Julia Margaret Cameron
Writing the letter (May Prinsep)
1870
Ashmolean Museum

Julila Margaret Cameron
Sealing the letter (May Prinsep)
1870
Ashmolean Museum

Julia Margaret Cameron
Pre-Raphaelite study (May Prinsep)
1870
Ashmolean Museum

Julia Margaret Cameron
The Dream (Mary Hillier)
1869
Ashmolean Museum

At the National Portrait Gallery in London there is an alternative version of The Dream which Mrs. Cameron called The Day Dream (below). Both prints were made in 1869  probably at the same sitting  with the photographer's preeminent model, Mary Hillier, but the two finished works are based on two different shots, cropped differently and developed differently.