Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79) is one of the most important figures in the history of photography. Given a camera in 1863 at the age of 48 by her daughter and son-in-law, she embraced photography with a passion bordering on obsession and, in little more than a decade, produced hundreds of searching portraits of the most eminent figures of the Victorian age and equally enigmatic portraits of her servants and friends. Her remarkable photographs are recognised today as being decades ahead of their time.
This is the first major exhibition to draw on the finest of Cameron's prints, from museums and private collections throughout Europe and the United States. It will bring together 120 of her most important images in a unique exhibition that has been organised by the National Portrait Gallery in collaboration with the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Bradford. The exhibition also tours to The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.