From Life: Julia Margaret Cameron and Victorian Photography [Hardcover]

Victoria C. Olsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2003

From Life tells the story of the greatest portrait photographer of the Victorian age, Julia Margaret Cameron. Born in Calcutta in 1815, she married Charles Hay Cameron in 1865 and settled down to the quiet life of a typical Victorian colonial; but, beneath this conventional exterior, she was increasingly interested in photography, especially the new technologies that would allow images to be reproduced and preserved in a permanent form. Shortly after her marriage she began a long and affectionate correspondence with Sir John Herschel, the world-renowned scientist, who kept her informed about new developments in photography. In 1863, Cameron emerged as the leading portrait photographer of the day. Her work was chronicled in the diaries of her niece, Virginia Woolf, and she produced a series of portraits of distinguished Victorians including Tennyson, Carlyle and Darwin. This is a fascinating and meticulously researched biography of a remarkable female artist who was decades ahead of her time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"savvy, scrupulously researched new biography...an especially lucid description of Cameron's arduous techniques..."--Caryn James, The New York Times
"[Olsen's] book is agreeable and lively...."--Claire Tomalin, TLS

"...Olsen uses Cameron's life to shed light...on women's place in society."--Jonathan Keats, Art & Auction

About the Author

Victoria C. Olsen holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University where she was a Scholar at the Institute of Research on Women and Gender.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (October 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403960194
• ISBN-13: 978-1403960191
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Victoria Olsen teaches in the Expository Writing Program at New York University, where she works with first-year filmmakers, actors, dramatists, dancers, and photographers on understanding art in words. She is the author of a biography of Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (2003), two young-adult biographies, a historical novel about a Victorian girl with dyslexia, and articles on art for various national publications like Smithsonian Magazine. She keeps a blog of close readings of photographs and films at www.victoriaolsen.com. Born and raised in New York City, she left to earn a Ph.D. in English at Stanford University, but she has since returned to Brooklyn.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate fan of julia margaret cameron's photography, August 1, 2007

By 

M. holland (usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Life: Julia Margaret Cameron and Victorian Photography (Hardcover)

OK,

in this 21rst century

I wish, ferverntly to promote

the irreproachhable photography of Julia Margaret Cameron .

To this day, I believe

No one has quite captured the inner energy and ardour of her subjects .

This book is a welcome treat.

It is a biography that helpfully describes & entertainingly so

this peculiar era

born of restraint, but passion too.

That of the late 19th century.

This bio really lends a witty feel to these surroundings, not dull !

To all who might be dis wayed from Victorian culture

Think again !

A fascinating and creative bunch .

Take a chance

and discover the life and photography of Julia Margaret Cameron !