| Julia Margaret Cameron King Lear Allotting His Kingdom to His Three Daughters 1872 Albumen print 33.7 x 28.6 cm (image) 56 x 46 cm (mount) George Eastman Museum Gift of Eastman Kodak Company, 1981.1121.0037 LL/45914 This photograph was included in the exhibition The Pre-Raphelite Lens: British Photography and Painting, 1848-1875 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (October 31, 2010 - January 30, 2011)
In illustrating Shakespeare's tragedy, Cameron closely framed the four characters and focused on the psychological intensity of their expressions. Lear has announced that he will divide his kingdom among his daughters, giving the largest allotment to the one who loves him best. Charles Cameron, the photographer's husband, modeled for King Lear, while the three Liddell sisters posed as his daughters, with Alice at right. Lewis Carroll's muse for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, she also appears as Pomona (no. 22).
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