Oddity of the Week: Julia Margaret Cameron's Husband Poses
Created | Updated Feb 17, 2013
This week's Oddity comes from the fabled Isle of Wight. Isle of Wight1 fans, rejoice!
Julia Margaret Cameron's Husband Poses in His Garden on the Isle of Wight
In 1874, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, asked his next-door neighbour to illustrate his new edition of the epic poem Idylls of the King. Fortunately for Alfred, Lord Tennyson, his next-door neighbour was Mrs Julia Margaret Cameron, the ground-breaking photographer. She dragooned the whole neighbourhood into playing dress-up, and what came out would give Peter Jackson a run for his money.
You may not be familiar with this work, but it was the LOTR of its day. Sword and sorcery, fantasy, that sort of thing. Mr Cameron was supposed to play Merlin, the magician who loses all his power when he is seduced by a young hussy. In this photo, Mr Cameron, Julia's husband, is playing Merlin. The hussy's name is not known. She seems to have been hired from among the nubile female inhabitants of the Isle of Wight. We would like to say that there were no ladies of negotiable affection on that honourable isle, but Bluebottle has already let the cat out of the bag on that score. In the story, Vivian imprisons Merlin in a hollow oak: they schlepped the hollow oak over from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's backyard.
This thrilling picture illustrates the following passage from IOTK:
'And lissome Vivien, holding by his heel,
Writhed toward him, sidled up his knee and sat
Behind his ankle twined her hollow feet
Together, curved an arm about his neck,
Clung like a snake; and letting her left hand
Droop from his mighty shoulder, as a leaf,
Made with her right a comb of pearl to part
The lists of such a beard as youth gone out
Had left in ashes...'
Steamy stuff, and the wench must have been double-jointed. Here's my version:
Julia Marg'ret Cameron,
One day left her camera on.
Some faeries, taking to the sport,
Before the magic lens played court.
They giggled, 'Alfred will be vexed,
For now his work is oversexed.'
Then Julia's mister happened by
And caught an elfin lady's eye.
She wriggled, writhed, and wound. She plied
Her arts. The gent was sorely tried.
'Young lady, what are you about?
Desist from twining, or I will shout
For help!' The wanton's evil grin
Grew wide. 'What's wrong with a little sin?'
Poor Mr Cameron did flee,
Took refuge in Lord Alfred's tree.
Faeries circled, dancing, harping,
'Hurrah for Victorians a-LARPing!
Don't know about LARPing? Look it up. The Edited Guide knows all.
