Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) 1868

Editor: This is Julia Margaret Cameron's portrait of Charles Darwin. The sepia tones lend such an aura of gravitas. What strikes you most about this image? Curator: I see Cameron's deliberate blurring, a soft focus that's less about precise representation and more about capturing the essence, the *feeling* of Darwin. Do you see how his eyes, though a bit shadowed, hold an incredible depth, a lifetime of contemplation? It whispers to me of evolution itself – a constant state of becoming, never entirely in sharp focus. Editor: That's beautiful. I hadn't thought of it that way. It makes me wonder about the relationship between artist and sitter. Curator: Absolutely. It feels like a collaboration, a meeting of two brilliant minds, both challenging the conventions of their time. It makes me ponder what other portraits of scientists would be like!