Julia Margaret CameronBritish, 1815–1879Sir John Herschel
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Not on view at present
Where is “Sir John Herschel” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked October 12, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
For more on the Alfred Stieglitz collection at the Art Institute, along with in-depth object information, please visit the website: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 1949.878
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
In the life of Julia Margaret Cameron
The whole life1864–1875
Eleven years of photography
Cameron's career as a photographer lasted from 1864 to 1875: in that time she made more than 900 photographs, portraying great Victorians — Darwin, Tennyson, Browning, Longfellow, Herschel, Watts, Trollope, Carlyle and the actress Ellen Terry. The Virgin Mary in her religious scenes was most often played by her housekeeper, Mary Hillier.
August 1865
The South Kensington Museum buys 80 photographs
In August 1865 the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum) bought 80 of her photographs.
November 1865
First solo exhibition
In November 1865 Cameron held her first solo exhibition; her work was shown throughout Europe.
1868
First artist-in-residence of the South Kensington Museum
In 1868 the South Kensington Museum gave her two rooms to use as a portrait studio, making her its first artist-in-residence. By then her prints were being sold by two London agents, P. & D. Colnaghi and William Spooner.
1874–1875
Publishes her own “Idylls of the King”
Unhappy that the small size of her images in Tennyson's edition diminished their significance, Cameron issued, apparently at her own expense, a deluxe edition with twelve full-size photographs, her last large-scale project. Only three of her photographs appeared in Tennyson's book, and her separate album was a commercial failure.
1875
Leaves for Ceylon
Because of her husband's ill-health, the lower cost of living and to be near their sons, who were managing the family coffee plantations, the Camerons left Freshwater for Ceylon — taking a cow, her photographic equipment and two coffins in case such items could not be found in the East. The plan was kept secret even from their closest relatives.
