The photographs:
Madonnas and Angelic Children
Julia Margaret CAMERON
British, 1815–79
An angel unwinged (the young Endymion), 1872
albumen silver photograph
34.8 x 27.3 cm
The Wilson Centre for Photography
93:4855
In Greek mythology, Endymion was a mortal man who fell in love with
Selene, the goddess of the Moon. To keep him eternally young, Selene cast a
spell over Endymion putting him into a state of sleep forever.
This image is also titled An angel unwinged. Cameron's interpretation of this alternative
title is not clear. She often portrayed children as angels but in this study
has abandoned actual wings, suggesting their presence instead through an arc
of diffused light in the background.
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