The Encounter of an Elderly Man and a Young Woman in Julia Margaret Cameron’s Photography

Friar Laurence and Juliet (1865), Prospero and Miranda (1865), and Vivien and Merlin (1874)

Abstract

Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), one of the most renowned Victorian photographers, produced innovative photographs that attest to her penchant for beauty. Her legacy not only comprises portraits of eminent contemporaries, but she also ventured to create her own staged photographs inspired by literature. Friar Laurence and Juliet, Prospero and Miranda, and Vivien and Merlin bear a striking resemblance and depict a rather similar theme: the relationship of an elderly man and a young woman. The paper explores the connection between these characters by interpreting the visual language, and unveiling the underlying significance of their touches and power relations.