Animated video traces Julia Margaret Cameron's late start in photography

A new animated video by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art tells the story of Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–1879), who first picked up a camera at age 48. The camera was a gift from her daughter and son-in-law, who wanted to occupy her during her husband's long work trips abroad. Cameron quickly set up a photographic laboratory in the chicken coop of her estate, experimenting with plates, paper, and acids. Within a year, her photos were exhibited, but contemporary critics disliked her distinctive use of soft focus, which enveloped her subjects—mostly portraits—in a lyrical, timeless atmosphere. The video, drawn by Drew Christie and Dan Herforth, uses period materials to concisely and effectively portray Cameron as a pioneer of photographic art.