Richly illustrated with Cameron's own photos and drawings of her life by Ibatoulline, this biography takes an admiring but playful approach to the pioneering British photographer.
--New York Times Book Review
This biography of a fascinating pioneer makes for a revealing look at the early days of photography, Victorian society, and gender roles in the nineteenth century. ... Ibatoulline's illustrations are an amazing complement to Cameron's included photographs, as they depict her setting the scene and positioning her subjects for her most iconic works. This book offers a visually stunning account of a fascinating life and times.
--Booklist
An accomplished collaboration... Cameron's photographs are interspersed with Ibatoulline's characteristically lush paintings, the most striking of which are his recreations of Cameron's portrait sittings, where his attention to detail mirrors the photographer's own exacting devotion to her craft. Rubin succinctly traces Cameron's life... A revealing biography of a passionate, uncompromising artist that simultaneously serves to illuminate the advent of photography and the upper-class Victorian lifestyle.
--Publishers Weekly
Cameron's late-blooming career, personal idiosyncrasies, and accessible if quirky photographs make her a good subject for a youth biography, and the spacious layout and beautiful full-page photo reproductions are particularly inviting. Ibatoulline's spot art and full illustrations approach photorealism as they evoke a mood of Victoriana and often recreate Cameron's interactions with her subjects. Quotation sources, photo credits, and an index are included, as well as an adult bibliography and list of museums that feature Julia Margaret Cameron's work.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Ibatoulline has outdone himself--such talent poured out for the enjoyment of children, lucky things!--by channeling the Pre-Raphaelite ethos. This is a sumptuously beautiful book from start to finish.
--The Wall Street Journal
This biography provides an intriguing overview of the life and work of Julia Margaret Cameron, a lesser-known but fascinating historical figure and an important force in the creation of artistic photography. Little has been written about Cameron, especially for young readers, and this biography does a nice job of filling this gap. The book is accessible, and Rubin keeps the narrative moving without weighing it down with too much detail that could deter children. ... Ibatoulline's rich paintings complement both the text and the examples of Cameron's own photographs. A wonderful addition to biography collections that sheds light on a little-covered subject.
--School Library Journal
Fascinating, scrupulously researched... Beautifully illustrated.
--Washington Parent
The lens turns to Julia Margaret Cameron, an ambitious and fascinating early photographer of 1800s celebrities including Tennyson and Darwin.
The girls in Julia Margaret’s family were known as “the beautiful Miss Pattles" - all except her. Plain, short and clever, Julia Margaret would eventually create her own beauty in the photographs she produced. Susan Goldman Rubin follows the groundbreaking photographer from her privileged childhood in Calcutta and Versailles to her role in bohemian salons in England, whose luminaries - Alfred Tennyson and many others - would later pose for her portraits. Commanding and eccentric, Julia Margaret Cameron persuaded children and friends to dress up and hold still for the long sittings needed to stage scenes based on literature and myth. Featuring a wonderful variety of photographs and gorgeous illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline, this engrossing biography illuminates the very beginnings of photography - and the determined woman who, in her own middle age, mastered its cumbersome equipment and made the art form her own.