Soft Focus Gallery

Gareth and Lynette, 1874. Creator: Julia Margaret Cameron

Gareth and Lynette, 1874. A bearded man (Andrew Hichens) poses as Gareth reclining with head cast down and eyes closed. A woman (May Prinsep Hichens), poses as Lynette, standing and leaning above him with unbound hair and her left hand resting on his chest. A photographic illustration to Alfred Tennyson's "Idylls of the King"; a series of narrative poems based on the legends of King Arthur.

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Dejatch Alamayou, King Theodores Son, July 1868

Dejatch Alamayou, King Theodore's Son, July 1868. The young orphaned prince cradles a little white doll and stares sadly into space. Dejatch Alamayou was taken to England after the British defeat of the Ethiopians at the battle of Magdala and the suicide of his father, Tewodros (Theodore) II, emperor of Ethiopia, in April 1868. Queen Victoria took an interest in Alamayou and saw to his education and protection, placing him in the care of Captain Tristram Speedy, who, like Cameron, had a home on the Isle of Wight. Speedy brought the child to Cameron's house shortly after his arrival in England.

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The Passing of King Arthur, 1874. Creator: Julia Margaret Cameron

The Passing of King Arthur, 1874. A melodramatic depiction of Arthur's death scene. A bearded man (William Warder) in profile, wearing chainmail and an armour helmet with his right hand gripping a sword. A photographic illustration to Alfred Tennyson's "Idylls of the King"; a series of narrative poems based on the legends of King Arthur.

© Heritage Art/Heritage Images