A few weeks ago, our lovely neighbouring Robin Hood of the Charity Shops hereabouts- had finished distributing her spoils amongst us all- and descended upon Dimbola with a rather fabulous chair. It was a pre-Arts and Crafts style of design- and rather Queen of Hearts too- to my rather biased eye.
I like chairs Em, I always imagine who chose them, and where they were, and who's favourite chair this was.
I can't show you this yet Em, because just as soon as Robina de Hood had rushed in with it- she rushed back out again to take it to be restored, prior to taking up residence at Dimbola- so we will have to wait a bit.
However, the owner of said piece of furniture is reputed to have been this lovely lady...
Julia Stephen (previously Duckworth- here in widows weeds) is photographed here by her namesake Aunt- our Julia Margaret Cameron in part of a session taken in 1874. This particular image from the session- I would like to think would be the one Mrs C chose as her best one (though actually it was out of focus, so I had to redraw the face for you.) But, Em- for me it's a good example of how directional our Julia really was- and what her vision of photography 'as an art-form' was aiming at. Look at the composition Em- way way way before Fashion photography- Julia Stephen certainly strikes a pose! Left hand on hip, with elegant fingers hitching up the side of her skirt, and right hand holding lorgnettes perhaps, accentuate a waisted taffeta dress and a blank, but suggestionably haughty stare.
When history then allows us the knowledge that this woman was Virginia Woolf's mother- it isn't a giant leap of faith to consider how much our colourful and ebullient Julia's influence shaped the Bloomsbury aesthetic. Oh, how I wish I could have seen Vanessa and Virginia's 'dressing up box'. Did they play with brightly coloured Indian silk dresses and shawls that belonged to their Great Aunts- the famed 'Pattle Sisters'?. Julia's fabulous, but frenetic legacy of pioneering photography doesn't allow us the vision of the colours she loved-or the style they all developed- but it's fun trying to find out Em- and increasingly the trail of influences lays backwards to the Freshwater Circle at the Bay here in the 1860's.
A lovely guest staying here at the house, said last night that after the third generation- people can cease to be 'people', and be seen merely as 'historical figures'. Luckily, for me- our Julia had such a strong personality- that it isn't simply her work that is intriguing. This lady was it seems- so 'different', 'eccentric', a 'genius', 'force of nature' and other descriptions- that she actually defied categorising, recording accurately, or understanding at the time.
So, with so much more to discover about her, her work- success and failure of essentially a life devoted to 'work in progress' on her art- it's a fascinating topic with ever-more fascinating subjects who either lived or visited the houses her and here-abouts...
Looking forwards to seeing you and Annabel in your new house in a few weeks time. I will bring you the Winnie the Pooh sticker book, and you can show me your lovely new bedroom,
Your ever-loving Grandmother,
GiGi xxx
