Photograph of Julia Jackson

London: np, 1864. Framed. Very Good. STUNNING AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE LARGE VINTAGE ALBUMEN PRINT OF ARGUABLY CAMERON’S FAVORITE MODEL, HER NIECE JULIA JACKSON, THE MOTHER OF VIRGINIA WOOLF. When you look at a Julia Margaret Cameron photograph today, you don’t need to be aware of the profound influence she had on early photography to appreciate the beauty and emotional depth of the image. While many early photographers were striving for detail and fidelity to life in their work, Cameron developed her own style, often involving soft-focus and creative positioning of her models, to push what could have been seen as mere technical prowess into the realm of high art.

In this image from c.1864, Cameron has captured her niece, Julia Jackson, in profile – chin held high, in perfect vertical balance with her straight torso and arms. Jackson exudes confidence and strength, but the softness of the image, and with the garden background almost merging into the figure, prevents Jackson from appearing severe and unapproachable. Jackson, rather, seems to draw you in, intimately connecting viewer and subject.

Jackson – famous for her beauty and a model for several leading artists – was Cameron’s niece and one of her favorite subjects. (A different photo from this time was labeled by Cameron, “My Favourite Picture Of All My Works. My Niece Julia”.) After her first husband (Herbert Duckworth) died, Jackson had four children with her second husband, Sir Leslie Stephen, one of whom was the great novelist Virginia Woolf. The resemblance between this photograph of Jackson and the exquisite profile portraits of Woolf is almost uncanny. Although Jackson died when Woolf was only thirteen, Woolf would later immortalize her in writing, basing the character of Mrs. Ramsay in To The Lighthouse on her celebrated mother.

This particular Cameron image of Jackson is rare. We can find no other examples that have been on the market. It is pictured in Julia Margaret Cameron: The Complete Photographs from the print at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Condition: There are some prominent streaks and spots in the image, but nearly all of these appear to have been imperfections in the negative, for they are reproduced exactly in the example at The Art Institute of Chicago and do not appear to be damage to the print. There are additionally a few additional minor spots and perhaps a touch of fading. There is significant foxing to the original cardboard mount (now hidden under the matte).

Vintage albumen print (c.1864). Size: Image = 24.2 × 19.2 cm (9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.). Original cardboard mount = 56.4 x 46 cm (22 1/8 x 18 1/8 in). Handsomely framed under museum glass to an overall size of approximately 31 x 26 in.

References:

Julian Cox and Colin Ford (ed.): Julia Margaret Cameron. The Complete Photographs. London 2003, p. 214, ill. 283.