Pomona
September 1872
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 14 5/16 × 10 3/8 in. (36.3 × 26.4 cm) Sheet: 14 5/16 × 10 3/8 in. (36.3 × 26.4 cm) Mount: 19 5/8 in. × 14 5/8 in. (49.8 × 37.2 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
David Hunter McAlpin Fund, 1963
Accession Number
63.545
Tags
Art Historical Context
Julia Margaret Cameron's *Pomona* (September 1872) exemplifies the Victorian photographer's innovative approach to portraiture, blending classical mythology with intimate human expression. Cameron, who began her career in her late forties on the Isle of Wight, transformed photography mere documentation into poetic artistry. Here, the title evokes Pomona, the Roman goddess orchards and abundance, suggesting the sitter—likely a family member or local model posed as a mythical figure—embodies ethereal beauty and natural harmony. This albumen silver print from a glass negative captures Cameron's s...
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...