[Lord Overstone]

Lord Overstone (1796-1883) was a friend and patron of Julia Margaret Cameron’s who helped her family financially over a long period and contributed more than six thousand pounds to underwrite the cost of her art. Charles Cameron and Overstone (then Samuel Jones Loyd) were at Eton College together and later became firm friends as members of London’s Political Economy Club. Overstone, a wealthy financier, was one of the banking world’s most powerful figures; in 1860 he was elected to the peerage for his contribution in this sphere. He also had a keen interest in the arts and was a prominent collector and philanthropist.

As a token of respect for his encouragement of her art, Cameron presented Overstone with an album of 112 of her pictures on August 5, 1865, which was dedicated with the inscription: “To Lord Overstone from his Friend Julia Margaret Cameron / Every thing in this book is from the Life & all these Photographs are printed as well as taken by J.M.C.” It was the fourth such album she had presented to persons whom she admired and valued for their support and friendship. The considerable personal sacrifice involved in giving such a substantial group of her earliest works to Overstone is typical of Cameron and demonstrates both her great generosity and constant need for validation. The Overstone Album has been part of the J. Paul Getty Museum’s collection since 1984 (see 84.XZ.186)

This portrait of Overstone captures the essential qualities of the subject: his shrewd eye and influential presence. The rich values of the carbon printing process complement his darkly clad figure. The stark, black pigment is punctuated by the patches of white in his dress shirt and the languorous shape of his left hand.

Adapted from Julian Cox. Julia Margaret Cameron, In Focus: From the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996), 48. ©1996 The J. Paul Getty Museum.