Victorian Visual Culture

Upon the realization that Julia Margaret Cameron took many photos of Ellen Terry apart from “Sadness”, I had to do some investigating. Through this investigation, I came across an overwhelming amount of images of Terry created by many artists. I was shocked at how many depictions of Terry there actually are. Thinking  back to our discussion of Julia Margaret Cameron’s “Sadness” I found it interesting to keep in mind Terry’s role as an actress. Many of the photos I came across depicted Terry in a specific acting role, the most popular being her role as Lady MacBeth.

Rethinking my initial reaction, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. Terry was, after all, from a well known acting family and a well known actress in her own right. I suppose what always surprises me is that the public notion of the “celebrity” was in existence at the time. Some of the photos I came across struck me as distinctly modern in their tendencies. I was also surprised at the range of mediums in which Terry was depicted. From painting to photography, it was fascinating to see how artists captured the image of the actress within a frame.

(c) University of Bristol Theatre Collection; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

(c) University of Bristol Theatre Collection; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

(c) University of Bristol Theatre Collection; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation