Julia Jackson 1874

This is Julia Jackson, made by Julia Margaret Cameron using the wet collodion process. It’s a photographic technique that was popular in the mid-19th century. In this process, a glass plate is coated with a chemical solution, exposed while still wet, and then developed immediately. It’s a labor-intensive technique with a high degree of skill. The final print displays a soft focus, enhancing the ethereal quality of the portrait, and also reflects the nature of the wet plate collodion process. There are some imperfections, which were probably created by dust particles or uneven coating during the process. Cameron was part of a generation that used new technologies to explore creative and artistic expressions. Photography was not just a mechanical reproduction. It also involved material manipulation, a careful selection of the subject, and control over the developing process. The images were appreciated for their aesthetic and emotional qualities. They were also a symbol of a new era of technological advancement and artistic exploration.