Arresting Beauty: Julia Margaret Cameron

Exhibitions

Julia Margaret Cameron, Call, I Follow, I Follow, Let Me Die!, 1867.

Carbon print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.735-2017

Overview

  • May 3–July 28, 2024

  • Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts

  • Free for Members

  • Included with admission

“I longed to arrest all beauty that came before me, and at length the longing has been satisfied.” —Julia Margaret Cameron

One of the most influential photographers in the medium’s history, Julia Margaret Cameron made portraits of transcendent beauty in close-up, soft-focus photographs. Arresting Beauty: Julia Margaret Cameron—a major traveling exhibition the Milwaukee Art Museum partnered with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, to bring to the Midwest—highlights the renowned photographer’s pioneering style.

Cameron (English, b. India, 1815–1879) received her first camera at the age of 48, making her career even more impressive for its brevity. Her portraits depict family and friends; contemporary scientists, scholars, and artists; and scenes staging allegorical, biblical, historical, and literary stories. For over a decade, she produced thousands of photographs and built a career, selling and exhibiting her work internationally. Her distinct style set her apart, and her legacy positions her as an artist who broke ground for future photographers.

The Museum’s unique presentation of this celebratory exhibition features more than 90 objects and includes works of art from its collection to provide historical context for the art that influenced, and was influenced by, Cameron.

A V&A Exhibition – Touring the World

Additional artworks

Julia Margaret Cameron, Annie, 1864.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.111-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, I Wait, 1872.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1297-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, Sir John Herschel, 1867.

carbon print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1154-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, Mary Hillier, 1873.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.617-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, The Whisper of the Muse, 1865.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1262:1-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, St. Agnes, 1872.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1289-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, The Mountain Nymph Sweet Liberty, 1866.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1241-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, A Sibyl after the manner of Michelangelo, 1864.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.736-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, A Group of Kalutara Peasants, 1878.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1093-2017

Julia Margaret Cameron, The Rosebud Garden of Girls, 1868.

Albumen print © The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1129-2017

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Support

Leadership sponsor

  • The Estate of Betty Croen

  • Milwaukee Art Museum’s Friends of Art

Supporting sponsor

  • Anonymous

Contributing sponsor

  • Barbara Fuldner

Exhibitions in the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts are sponsored by

  • Herzfeld Foundation

The Milwaukee Art Museum extends its sincere thanks to the Visionaries.

  • Mark and Debbie Attanasio

  • Donna and Donald Baumgartner

  • Murph Burke

  • Joel and Caran Quadracci

  • Sue and Bud Selig

  • Jeff and Gail Yabuki and the Yabuki Family Foundation