Mrs. Herbert Duckworth with Florence Fisher, George Duckworth, and Herbert Fisher 1872

Julia Margaret Cameron made this albumen print, Mrs. Herbert Duckworth with Florence Fisher, George Duckworth, and Herbert Fisher, sometime in the 1860s. Cameron's status as an upper-middle-class woman provided her access to photographic equipment and models, as well as the freedom to experiment with the relatively new medium. The soft focus and ethereal quality of Cameron’s photographs challenged the prevailing aesthetic norms of the Victorian era. The aesthetic of soft focus was deemed by some to be technically inept at the time. But, she embraced it as a way to express inner character, emotion, and spiritual qualities. She was interested in imbuing photography with the gravitas of painting while also, in some ways, democratizing the medium by making the tools of artistic production available to more people. Understanding Cameron’s place in the history of photography requires us to consult a wide range of sources, from technical manuals to social histories of Victorian England. By situating her work in its social and institutional context, we can gain a deeper appreciation of its aesthetic and cultural significance.