Julia Margaret Cameron

oval albumen print, hinged to a modern mount, framed, 1867

Originally in the collection of the subject, Julia Duckworth (née Jackson)

To a descendent

Sotheby's London, 13 May 1994, Sale 4275, Lot 81, Robert Hershkowitz as agent

Cox 313 (this print)

Henri Jonquieres, ed., La Vielle Photographie depuis Daguerre jusqu’a 1870 (Paris, 1935), pl. 19 (one of two illustrations by Cameron)

The print quality of this rare photograph is exceptional. Grading it on a scale of one to 10 – a 10 being an albumen print that has rich, near-black dark tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail – this print rates a strong 10. The print is in near-excellent condition. The most noticeable issues are two linear creases in the lower portion of the image, and one adjacent to the left edge; none of these breaks the emulsion and are most visible in raking light. According to notes in the Sotheby's London catalogue, this print and its fellows were "preserved loose between the leaves of an album." Indeed, the print gives no indication of ever having been mounted.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In Julia Margaret Cameron: The Complete Photographs, Julian Cox locates only one print of this image, the example offered here.  A second print of this portrait, however, was offered as Lot 77 in the same 1994 Sotheby’s London sale from which the present photograph was purchased.  

Julia Margaret Cameron's sensitive portrait of her niece and goddaughter, Julia Prinsep Jackson, came originally from the personal collection of the sitter and was one of seven Cameron photographs, all with the same provenance, offered at Sotheby's London in 1994.  In Julia Margaret Cameron's Women, Stephanie Lipscomb observes that Cameron photographed Jackson repeatedly throughout her career; 'yet, unlike most of her other female subjects, whom Cameron portrayed as characters from biblical, classical, or literary sources, Julia was almost always represented as herself, simply and eloquently, without pretense' (p. 222).

A great beauty, Jackson sat for many artists of the day and served most notably as the model for Mary in Edward Burne-Jones's Annunciation.  She was widowed in 1867 with the death of her first husband, the barrister Herbert Duckworth.  Later she married Sir Leslie Stephen, and among the couple's children were painter Vanessa Bell and author Virginia Woolf.