Julia Jackson 1867

Julia Margaret Cameron made this photograph of Julia Jackson using the wet collodion process, a popular technique in Victorian England. The image, with its soft focus, departs from the sharp, clinical style favored by commercial portrait studios of the time. Cameron was part of an intellectual circle that valued emotion and spiritual depth, and that favored a Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic. We can understand this image as both a record of an individual and an attempt to express ideals of beauty and character. It is also important to note that Cameron was a woman working in a field dominated by men. Photography provided upper-middle-class women with an acceptable outlet for artistic expression. To fully appreciate this artwork, consider the social norms of Victorian England, the artistic movements that influenced Cameron, and the institutional context in which she worked. Research into the lives and works of other female photographers of the era will yield even greater insights. Only then can we grasp the full meaning of this compelling portrait.