Elaine
c. 1874
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
Image/paper: 32.4 × 25.6 cm (12 13/16 × 10 1/8 in.); Mount: 44.4 × 35.6 cm (17 1/2 × 14 1/16 in.)
Classification
albumen silver print
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
29224
Art Historical Context
Julia Margaret Cameron's *Elaine* (c. 1874) is a captivating albumen silver print from the Art Institute of Chicago's Photography and Media department, measuring 32.4 × 25.6 cm on a larger 44.4 × 35.6 cm mount.ured during the height of Cameron's influential career, this photograph exemplifies her visionary approach to portraiture, blending photography with the poetic drama of Victorian literature. The title evokes Elaine, the tragic figure from Alfred Lord Tennyson's *Idylls of the King*, whom Cameron often illustrated, infusing her images with emotional depth and narrative allure. As a pione...
About the Artist
Julia Margaret Cameron · 1815–1879
Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–1879), born Julia Margaret Pattle in Calcutta, India, emerged as one of the 19th century's most innovative photographers despite beginning her career at age 48. The daughter of East India Company official James Pattle and French aristocrat Adeline de l'Etang, she was educated in France from 1818 to 1834 alongside her six surviving sisters, renowned for their beauty and...