The Dimbola Museum and Galleries are located in Dimbola, that was the Isle of Wight home of the Victorian pioneer photographer

Julia Margaret Cameron Julia Margaret Cameron (''née'' Pattle; 11 June 1815 – 26 January 1879) was a British photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She is known for her soft-focus close-ups of famous Victorian ...

from 1860 to 1875. It is now owned by the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, which runs the Dimbola Museum and Galleries.

History of the property

In 1860,

bought two adjacent cottages in Freshwater Bay from a local fisherman named Jacob Long. In order to make the house look more beautiful to her friends returning from the beach, they were linked by a central tower in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style current at the time. The structure dominates the skyline from Freshwater Bay and gives a focus to the surrounding area. Dimbola took its name from the family's coffee (later

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and norther ...

) plantation in

Dimbula Dimbula is a village located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is approximately east of Colombo, south of Kandy and west of Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in th ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

(now Sri Lanka). Dimbola served as both her home and her studio. It was here that the greatest of Cameron's photographs were made. After the Camerons returned to Ceylon the property was again divided into two parts. These were later named Dimbola, which became a private residence and holiday flats. In 1991, a property company bought and obtained permission to demolish what was then called 'Cameron House'. The Julia Margaret Cameron Trust was formed, with the immediate and urgent aim of saving the house which was achieved three years later. Dimbola is now a museum and galleries dedicated to Cameron's life and work. It is also home to a permanent exhibition about the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 held at nearby Afton Down. As well as showing contemporary exhibitions of photographers. Exhibitors have included

Annie Leibovitz Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American portrait photographer best known for her engaging portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid photo of J ...

Chris Packham Christopher Gary Packham CBE (born 4 May 1961) is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the CBBC children's nature series ''The Really Wild Show'' from 1986 ...

and Terry O'Neill. In 2006, a sculptural tribute to Jimi Hendrix was erected here, looking out towards

Afton Down Afton Down is a chalk down near the village of Freshwater on the Isle of Wight. Afton Down faces Compton Bay directly to the west, while Freshwater is approximately one mile north. It was the site of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, where the ...

where the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dimbola Museum and Galleries Museums on the Isle of Wight Biographical museums on the Isle of Wight Photography museums and galleries in England Country houses on the Isle of Wight Art museums and galleries on the Isle of Wight Museums devoted to one artist

History of the property

See also

References

External links