Accession Number
1975/1.63

Title
The Kiss of Peace

Artist(s)
Julia Margaret Cameron

Artist Nationality
British (modern)

Object Creation Date
1869

Medium & Support
albumen print on paper

Dimensions
9 1/8 in x 7 1/8 in (23.18 cm x 18.1 cm);19 5/16 in x 14 5/16 in (49.05 cm x 36.35 cm);18 1/16 in x 22 1/16 in (45.88 cm x 56.04 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Subject matter
In this photograph, which Cameron considered to be her greatest work, two women are posed, one on the left kissing the forehead of a younger woman to the right, who looks down solemnly. They wear draped fabric, taking the subjects out of the Victorian era, but not referencing a specific time period. The woman on the left is Mary Hillier, Cameron's personal maid from 1861 to 1875. Like many of her works, this photograph is based on a work by Alfred Lord Tennyson: St. Agnes' Eve. Tennyson was Cameron's neighbor, and a recurring subject in her photographs. The title, The Kiss, refers to the early Christian tradition in which a kiss was both a greeting and part of liturgy. 

Physical Description
A portrait of two women; the woman on the left kisses the forehead of the younger woman to the right, who looks down. They both wear draped fabric.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Figures
allegory (artistic device)
cloth
double portraits
kisses
mother
peace
woman
women (female humans)