Lovely piece on Julia Margaret Cameron, who was 200 years old in June (G2, 23 September). We did a special presentation at Bestival a couple of weeks back, where we brought her back to life (through an actress resurrecting her in the Bestiversity marquee) and highlighted the campaign to put this pioneering photographer on the £20 note. Enthusiasts described variously by the authorities as dreamers, a bunch of old hippies and amateurs (I plead guilty as charged to all three) saved the house where she lived in Freshwater from the bulldozers. She named it Dimbola, after her tea estates in what was then Ceylon, and it was in Sri Lanka that she died in 1879, her last word being “beautiful”.
Dimbola is now a flourishing art gallery and museum, which shows a permanent collection of Julia’s work – she invented the idea of a photograph as an art object – as well as contemporary shows by the likes of Patti Smith, Annie Leibovitz, Linda and Mary McCartney, and David Bailey, all of whom have paid tribute to her influence. We also host a permanent exhibition to the great 1970 Isle of Wight festival, held within sight and sound, and there is a life-sized statue of Jimi Hendrix outside near Julia’s original studio. We also host plays, readings and concerts, from Bach to Its A Beautiful Day.
It is so good that, with the forthcoming shows at the Science Museum and at the V&A, she is finally getting her due. We are so proud that we saved her house – full of her original decor – once we had stripped away a century of chipboard - showing influences from the pre-Raphaelites, William Morris and her native Indian culture (Julia was born in Calcutta of mixed French, Indian and Irish heritage).
What the photographs you print show is how strikingly timeless her work is, and how much in love she was with decor, costume and visual effects. At Dimbola it is now safe from the bulldozers, and a permanent tribute to her life and work.
Dr Brian Hinton
Executive chair, Julia Margaret Cameron Trust
