Julia Margaret Cameron
The Vestal

ArtistBritish, born India, 1815–1879
CultureBritish
Titles
  • The Vestal
  • from the album Mrs. Cameron’s Photographs from the Life
Date1868, assembled 1869
MediumAlbumen silver print from glass negative
DimensionsImage: 10 15/16 × 8 7/8 in. (27.8 × 22.6 cm)
Sheet: 10 15/16 × 8 7/8 in. (27.8 × 22.6 cm)
Mount: 18 1/8 × 12 3/8 in. (46 × 31.5 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2021.282.37
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description


A visitor to Cameron’s home in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, Hatty Campbell was pressed into service as a model for eight photographs titled The Echo, The Guardian Angel, and The Vestal (shown here), referring to the virgin priestesses in Greek mythology charged with keeping the temple’s eternal flame alight. Almost without exception, Cameron’s female portraits bear biblical, historical, or literary titles, no doubt in part to make them more marketable than mere portraits of the photog­rapher’s family, friends, or house servants, but also because she looked for characteristics in her sitters that shared qualities with such subjects.

 


ProvenanceGiven by the artist to her daughter Julia and son-in-law Charles Norman; by descent to his son Archibald Cameron Norman; by descent to his son Charles Lloyd Norman; by descent to his son Charles Wake Norman; by descent to his son to William Norman; by descent to his son Stephen Norman; [consigned to Hans P. Kraus, New York, 2012]; purchased by MFAH, 2021.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed on mount recto, below image: The Vestal // Hatty Campbell
Catalogue raisonnéCox & Ford p. 505 "Norman Album", plate 182

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Déjatch Alámayou & Báshá Félika, King Theodore's Son & Captain Speedy
Julia Margaret Cameron
1868, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.47
Paul and Virginia
Julia Margaret Cameron
1864, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.48
William Michael Rossetti
Julia Margaret Cameron
1865
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2004.339
Herr [Joseph] Joachim
Julia Margaret Cameron
1868
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2004.343
Henry Taylor
Julia Margaret Cameron
1865, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.18
The Dirty Monk, Alfred Tennyson
Julia Margaret Cameron
1865, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.19
Adriana
Julia Margaret Cameron
1866, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.20
The Mountain Nymph Sweet Liberty
Julia Margaret Cameron
1866, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.21
The Honourable Frank Charteris
Julia Margaret Cameron
1867, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.14
William Gifford Palgrave
Julia Margaret Cameron
1868, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.15
Kate Keown
Julia Margaret Cameron
1866, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.16
The Christ Kind
Julia Margaret Cameron
1868, assembled 1869
Albumen silver print from glass negative
2021.282.17