born June 11, 1815, Calcutta, India
died Jan. 26, 1879, Kalutara, Ceylon
British portrait photographer.
In 1864, after receiving a camera as a gift, she set up a studio and darkroom and began taking portraits. Her sitters were friends such as Alfred Tennyson , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , and Charles Darwin . Her sensitive portraits of women, such as that of Ellen Terry , are especially noteworthy. Like many Victorian photographers, she made allegorical photographs in imitation of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings of the day. Her technical ability was criticized, but she was more interested in spiritual depth than in technical perfection; her portraits are considered exceptionally fine.