The Mountain Nymph, Sweet Liberty

In Victorian Britain, a small group of photographers were among the very first to attempt to create and formulate art photography. Julia Margaret Cameron, who belonged to this group, has left a fantastic legacy of intimate portraits of her family and large circle of friends. She was an amateur photographer who was active mainly in the 1860s and 1870s. Her staged pictures, inspired by myths, biblical stories and English literature, have a characteristically expressive soft focus. The Mountain Nymph, Sweet Liberty takes its title from a line in John Milton’s poem L’Allegro, which is about the good things in life. Her model, Miss Keene, with her large eyes and tumbling locks, looks likes she is about to come out of the picture. Cameron’s photos are reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelites and renaissance painting.