CAMERON JULIA MARGARET: (1815-1879) English photographer, one of the most important ...

CAMERON JULIA MARGARET: (1815-1879) English photographer, one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. A good vintage signed sepia 11.75 x 15 photograph (including mount, the image size 9.75 x 12.75, approximately 25 x 32 cm), the original albumen print, created from wet collodion on glass negative, being of Mrs. Enid Layard, caught in Cameron´s typical soft focus and depicting Layard in a profile head and shoulders pose with a white cloth draped around her, held in place with her gently raised right hand. Signed by Cameron to the lower mount immediately beneath the image, ´From life. Registered Photograph. Copyright Julia Margaret Cameron, March 1869´. A wonderful, appealing image by Cameron, arguably created when at the height of her career. Some light age wear to the mount and some chipping and areas of loss to three corners, not affecting Cameron´s text or signature. The print with some very light, minimal age wear and a few very small, minor spots. G

Julia Margaret Cameron did not copyright all of her work, however the present portrait is one of 508 photographs to which she did apply her copyright over an eleven year period from 1864-75. See The Complete Photographs, Cox & Ford (Catalogue Number 343).

Enid Layard (1843-1912) was the wife of the English archaeologist, politican and diplomat Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817-1894). Lady Layard was a regular visitor to Freshwater, the location of Cameron´s home and salon on the Isle of Wight. Layard recorded her visits to Cameron in her journals, including the visit of 31st March 1869, when the present image was captured, noting that the two ladies enjoyed lunch together and that ´it was a very dull day for photography´.