Julia Margaret Cameron; born in 1815, was a British photographer known for her soft-focus close-ups of famous Victorians and illustrative images depicting characters from mythology, Christianity, and literature. She was born in Calcutta in 1815 and later moved to London, where she established connections with the cultural elite. Cameron began her photography career at the age of 48 when her daughter gifted her a camera. She created a significant body of work over a 12-year period, capturing portraits of notable figures like Charles Darwin and Sir John Herschel.