I’ve been familiar with the photography of Julia Margaret Cameron for some time but the work of Francesca Woodman was new to me. I can see why the curators of this new show at the National Portrait Gallery decided to set up a joint exhibition because there’s a lot of symmetry and synergy between the two. Both have a very dreamy, other-worldly approach to photography but, as curator Magdalene Keaney told us at the press preview, all the works on show were produced by the photographer’s hand. And seeing the process, and understanding that the creator of the image decided on the nature of the print, does add a more satisfying edge to the viewing of the photographs.

There’s something very compelling about black and white too. I remember discussing dreams of a morning and quite often the question was: did you dream that in colour or black and white? Maybe that comes from a time before everything was in colour, but there’s a mystery to a black and white image, a greater opportunity for depth of field and use of strong shadows. Photos taken by both women were often staged and quite self-conscious. You can see why Julia Margaret Cameron in the 1870s battled to keep her subjects to stay still because of the newness of the medium when the slightest move would cause the image to blur. But Woodman (most of whose work comes from the 1970s) appears to deliberately use the shutter speed of her camera to create blurs and double exposure.

Above is a trio of fascinating photographs of Alice Liddell posing as the goddess Pomona. She was famously the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and a family friend of Julia Margaret Cameron. It’s hard to know whether her fixed expression comes from boredom, concentration or indifference. But they are very compelling.

Portraits to Dream In is on show at the National Portrait Gallery until 16th June 2024. It’s part of the Pay What You Wish campaign which enables you to see a show for as little as £1 on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings. Great for the strapped students of photography or anyone on a serious budget to enjoy this fascinating show.