A rare carte de visite of Sir John Herschel (1792-1871) by Julia Margaret Cameron (Cox & Ford no. 674). Photographed 4-7 April 1867.

CdV photographs by Cameron are very rare. The craze about this presentation was over when she published them. Only a handful were made of each one (Thanks to A. Novak for this information).

Herschel was a famous astronomer and the inventor of the cyanotype. He was also the first user of the word 'photography.

With the copyright of Cameron under the print. Also written in fountain pen in an unknown hand 'Sir John Herschel, Célèbre astronome Anglais'
The albumen print is in overall good condition. Some discoloration and spots typical for the gilt border.

This is one of the iconic portraits of Herschel taken by Cameron (Hans P. Kraus Jr.: Sun Pictures).

CdV: 8,2 x 5,5 cm
ca. 1867

Literature: Julian Cox, Colin Ford et all, Julia Margaret Cameron: The Complete Photographs, Los Angeles, Getty Publications, 2003, p. 325.