garden history

A photogenic drawing by William Henry Fox William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) made his Talbot’s photograph of his family Anna Atkins (1799-1871) produced This image by Atkins, taken in Dimbola Lodge, the Isle of Cameron and colleague Oscar Talbot using botanical specimens from his name in photography, but was also interested in home, Lacock Abbey, was taken a series of detailed plant portraits in 1871, shows how cyanotypes Wight home of Julia Margaret Gustave Rejlander made this portrait garden. Taken around 1839, the year he archaeology and politics, serving as a reformist in 1844 and appeared in his her Cyanotypes of British and Foreign can reveal the delicate, almost Cameron, pictured in 1871. of Kate Dore in about 1862; pictograms announced his discoveries in photography. Member of Parliament between 1832 and 1835. book The Pencil Of Nature. Flowering Plants and Ferns, 1854. transparent parts of some plants. The house is now a museum. of ferns comprise the ‘frame’.

even the venation of the leaves, the minute establish the National Botanic Garden at of the Algae... induced me to avail The garden in hairs that clothe the plant.’ In 1844 he Kew, and his friend William Hooker was myself of Sir John Herschel’s beautiful

produced his first book of ‘photogenic appointed its first director. process of Cyanotype, to obtain

L SSP drawings’, The Pencil of Nature. impressions of the plants themselves, amy; Al amy; Talbot had a huge range of interests, Botany meets the cyanotype which I have much pleasure in offering

early art photography M useum / including botany. He planted many trees In October 1843 Anna Atkins, an amateur to my botanical friends.’ and replanted the kitchen garden at his botanist from Kent, produced the first Cyanotype was a non-silver mixture M edia The first photographers found themselves drawn to plants home, Lacock Abbey. He also added photo-illustrated book using the cyanotype of ammonium citrate and potassium greenhouses to enlarge his collection of process: British Algae: Cyanotype ferricyanide, brushed on to ordinary paper and gardens – a natural affinity that continues today l N ationa tender and exotic plants. The gardens and Impressions. It was the also first book in under dim light, then dried. The flat, dried ondon;

words mary kocol l greenhouse at Lacock Abbey are now in any field printed using photography in plant was sandwiched between glass and excellent condition, having been restored place of typesetting and illustration. the coated paper and brought outside for he garden had a significant modern photography, William Henry Fox invented in France by Louis Daguerre in by the National Trust in 1999. Talbot’s own Atkins chose the cyanotype process exposure to the sun. The exposed paper presence in early photography Talbot, took specimens from his botanic 1839, briefly rivalled Talbot’s system but notebooks helped the trust to recreate the because it made outstandingly accurate was then taken inside and washed in water Tduring the Victorian era. Several garden at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire for proved too labour-intensive.] Talbot later gardens as they were in Talbot’s day. impressions of details, and showed the to bring out its Prussian blue colour and British inventors and pioneering artist- these pioneering images. He used the paper wrote that ‘The first kind of objects I / the print co ll ector 2/699; and 10/15 photo photo oard Talbot even played a role in transparency of the algae – specifically, make it permanent. b

photographers either kept a garden or negative-positive process he had invented in attempted to copy by this process were and museum, a lb ert v ictoria safeguarding the botanical gardens at Kew. seaweeds (collecting seaweed specimens Atkins’ second cyanotype book, studied botany. 1834, the precursor to the technology used flowers and leaves, either fresh or selected By 1838 the gardens were in decline and was popular in the 19th century). She of ferns, engaged another popular botanical Some of the first photographs ever in almost all photography of the 19th and from my herbarium. These it renders with threatened with closure. Talbot petitioned wrote: ‘The difficulty of making accurate theme of the era. Her publications were rary British Li b rary A images, V& taken were of plants. The founder of 20th centuries. [The daguerreotype, the utmost truth and fidelity, exhibiting © © the council of the Linnean Society to drawings of objects as minute as many timely, as interest in botany was high

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Julia Margaret Cameron often photographed her Maud, 1875. Cameron’s portraits for Gathering Water-Lilies, 1886, by John Cimon Warburg (1867-1931) American artist Amanda From Hackney Flowers, 2007. British Rachel Warne’s images of plants subjects with flowers, each of which was imbued with Idylls of the King by the Poet Laureate Peter Emerson (1856-1936), who was a pioneer of colour photography Means (b. 1945) uses leaves as artist Stephen Gill (b. 1971) creates on a lightbox won the International symbolism. Roses carried multiple meanings, but in Alfred Lord Tennyson were designed to excelled at naturalistic shots known for his portraits of children, photographic negatives, making multi-layered images using plants Garden Photographer of the Year general signified oblivion or imagination. look like contemporary oil paintings. of the Norfolk countryside. such as Peggy in the Garden (1909). prints without using a camera. collected near his home in East London. Portfolio award in 2009.

Talbot, Atkins and Cameron were all great pioneers Cameron’s appreciation of flowers Dimbola’s director Brian Hinton. In 1874 continues in the work of modern and their Victorian symbolism is evident Cameron created ornate tableaux, many photographers such as Amanda Means, of photography, and were all enthusiastic about the in her photographs, which included ivy set in the garden, to illustrate Tennyson’s Stephen Gill and Rachel Warne. Perhaps the horticultural trends and botanical discoveries of their time (representing fidelity), sunflowers book Idylls of the King. Informed by bold simplicity of plant forms, and the (adoration), camellias (graciousness) and Rembrandt and the Pre-Raphaelites, peaceful atmosphere of the garden, mean arne

magnolias (dignity). Lily-of-the-valley, Cameron broke from the traditional that photographers will never abandon this W laurel, daisy, morning glory, magnolia, portrait and revealed a more intimate, favourite subject of the pioneers. ictoria ictoria l ache

among the public: horticulture luminaries. Her subjects included poet and placed ferns on the glass during exposure R grapevine and wheat also feature. approachable image of her subject. periodicals were popular and other playwright Robert Browning, scientist of the light-sensitive albumen paper. G i ll ; In 1868 she photographed Joseph images, v images, innovations were attracting interest, such Charles Darwin and actress Ellen Terry. Dimbola, Cameron’s home on the A Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic A long-term affinity? Useful information V& tephen S as Wardian cases – sealed glass boxes for Sometimes they were posed with Isle of Wight, is within walking distance © Gardens (and son of his predecessor, Talbot, Atkins and Cameron were all great Visit Henry Fox Talbot Museum collecting and cultivating new, exotic plants. legendary themes, and often in the garden. of the lush downs and dramatic sea Talbot’s friend William Hooker). Working pioneers of photography, and were all ADDRESS Lacock Abbey, near Chippenham, hotographic society; courtesy of of courtesy society; hotographic P Like Talbot and Atkins, Cameron cliffs of Freshwater Bay. In Cameron’s day l with the labour-intensive wet-plate enthusiastic about the horticultural trends Wiltshire SN15 2LG. TEL 01249 730459 etty images; G etty images; The accidental photographer experimented with photograms of ivy, climbing roses and honeysuckle grew oya collodion process, her subjects endured and botanical discoveries of their time. As a WEBSITE www.nationaltrust.org.uk

In 1863, Julia Margaret Cameron’s botanical subjects. The portrait of Kate on the house walls, with ornamental and L; SSP long exposures of several minutes. result, the garden figured prominently in ondon; R ondon; daughter presented her with her first Dore (page 77, far right), a collaboration kitchen gardens in the back. She planted of 339; courtesy G a ll ery The Poet Laureate, Alfred Lord early photography’s most original works. Visit The Julia Margaret Cameron Trust camera. Cameron, then aged 48, soon with fellow photographic pioneer Oscar roses and primroses in front for passersby M useum / Tennyson, was Cameron’s neighbour The garden remained an important ADDRESS Dimbola Lodge Museum, Terrace

made a photo studio and darkroom in her Gustave Rejlander, features a border to pick. Her home smelled of photo M edia and friend. His wife Emily helped Mrs subject for photography into the Pictorialist Lane, Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight M eans and ert museum, l museum, ert home, and went on to become famous for decorated with photograms of ferns. Using chemicals and sweet briar, according to lb Cameron to landscape the gardens when Movement of the late 19th and early 20th TEL 01983 756814 her soulful portraits of family, friends and Rejlander’s glass plate negative, Cameron her grandniece Virginia Woolf. l N ationa a and A manda she bought the house in 1860, according to centuries. Even today this influence WEBSITE www.dimbola.co.uk

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