Title: Portrait of Sir John Herschel
Artist: Julia Margaret Cameron

In her portraits of great Victorians Julia Margaret Cameron sought not so much to record the sitter?s features, as to reveal the genius within: ?When I have such men before my camera, my whole soul has endeavoured to do its duty towards them in recording faithfully the greatness of the inner as well as the features of the outer man.? Her portraits of this type, almost all of men, are mostly close-ups of the head and shoulders, thus eliminating the costumes and contrived backgrounds which give photographs a period flavour. Sir John Herschel was an illustrious scientist from whom Cameron learnt about the new science of photography. 

Arch. K b.12, fol. 53r