Julia Margaret Cameron

Priyanka Chharia takes you back to the start, and revisits the fascinating fairy tale that was Julia Margaret Cameron.

- Priyanka Chharia

Accidents can be beautiful. In fact, photography is perhaps one of the most beautiful accidents that ever happened to me. I still remember the first time that I noticed Julia Margaret Cameron’s work. Interestingly, it was just another serendipitous accident as well. In an instant, I had travelled back to the Victorian era. I was enamoured by the subdued sepia tones of her images. And, in this age of digital reproductions and instant uploads... I felt that this was something unique. In fact, it seemed to me that her photographs, which reeled from an innocent imperfection, were accidents too. And, yes... they were beautiful.

The Gift

For Julia Margaret Cameron, photography was literally a gift. It was at the age of 48 when she was presented a camera by her daughter, as a means to curb her loneliness. “It may amuse you, mother; to try to photograph during your solitude at Freshwater,” said the accompanying note from her daughter.

The Beginning

As a beginner, Julia learnt how to photograph simply because of the perseverance of her own efforts. She was born in Kolkata, and lived in India for a long time, before she eventually moved to the United Kingdom in 1948.

With time, the camera was no longer just a means of amusement for her, and became much more than a forthright bequest. She began photographing at home. While she transformed her hen house into a studio, she used the coal bin as a darkroom.