3-044-462 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

I Wait (Rachel Gurney), 1872. Young Rachel Gurney's forlorn expression does not quite fit her role as an angel, but in a humorous way, her performance supports this photograph's staged look. She is perched on a box that is covered loosely in drapery and positioned stiffly on a table, with fake wings attached to her. Resting her chin on her crossed arms, she appears resigned to her fate of posing for the camera. Pioneering British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron is considered to be one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She took up photography at the age of 48, after her daughter gave her a camera as a present.