Sir John F. W. Herschel
Julia Margaret Cameron
British, born India. 1815–1879
1867
A carbon print close-up portrait of an elderly man whose weathered features and wild hair are rendered with a soft, painterly touch, made to transform a likeness into a poetic study of character.
The face fills the frame: a direct, shadowed gaze and tousled white hair emerge from velvety tones and gentle blur, so that every line and loss of focus feels intimate and timeless.
Taken in the 1860s by Julia Margaret Cameron, the photograph exemplifies her pioneering, painterly approach—using close cropping, soft focus, and the carbon process—to argue that photography could reveal inner life and be considered fine art.
Medium
Carbon print
Dimensions
13 3/8 × 10 7/16" (34 × 26.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Anonymous gift
Accession
832.1965
Palette
Exhibitions
