Clementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Viscountess Hawarden
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Clementina Maude, 1838
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| Born |
Clementina Elphinstone Fleeming
1 June 1822 Cumbernauld, Dunbartonshire, Scotland
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| Died | 19 January 1865 (aged 42) London, England
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| Occupation | Photographer |
| Spouse(s) |
Cornwallis Maude, 4th Viscount Hawarden
(m. 1845) |
| Children | 8 |
| Parent(s) |
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Clementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden (born Elphinstone Fleeming; 1 June 1822 – 19 January 1865) was a British photographer. She lived during the Victorian era and was known for her many portraits. She took over 800 photos, mostly of her own daughters.
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Clementina's Early Life and Family
Clementina was born in Cumbernauld, Scotland, on June 1, 1822. She was the third of five children. Her father was Admiral Charles Elphinstone Fleeming. He was a naval officer who served in several wars. He also worked as a member of parliament for a short time. Clementina was 18 years old when her father passed away.
In 1845, Clementina married Cornwallis Maude, 4th Viscount Hawarden. He was an Irish politician. They lived mostly in Ireland and had a large family. They had eight girls and two boys.
Becoming a Photographer
Clementina started taking photos in late 1856 or early 1857. At that time, she was living on her family's estate in Ireland. In 1859, she moved to London. There, she set up a special photo studio in her beautiful home in South Kensington.
Many of her most famous pictures were taken in this studio. She often photographed her teenage daughters, Isabella Grace, Clementina, and Florence Elizabeth. To create her unique photos, she would move furniture and decorations. This helped her set up interesting scenes and poses. She also used mirrors to make it look like there were two people in a photo. Clementina used natural sunlight for her pictures, which was a new idea back then. She also developed her own photos using a common method called the wet-plate collodion method.
Exhibitions and Recognition
Viscountess Hawarden showed her work for the first time in January 1863. This was at an exhibition held by the Photographic Society of London. She became a member of the Society the following March. Her photos were praised for being very artistic. She even won a silver medal for her amazing photo compositions. Sadly, she passed away from pneumonia at age 42 before she could officially receive her award.
Her Photographic Work
Clementina's time as a photographer was short but very busy. She took over 800 photographs between 1857 and her sudden death in 1865. Most of her photos focused on her children. There is only one photo that might be of Clementina herself. However, it could also be a picture of her sister.
Her work is often compared to another famous photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron. While both were aristocratic photographers, their styles were different. Cameron focused less on how the photo was set up or the background.
A large collection of 775 of her portraits is now at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. These photos were given to the museum in 1939 by Clementina's granddaughter. The photos were carefully removed from family albums. This is why many of them have torn or trimmed corners. This also shows that her photos were made for her family to enjoy, not to be sold. Selling photos was not considered proper for a lady of her social standing at the time.
Images for kids
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Clementina Hawarden, Clementina Maude
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Clementina Hawarden, Clementina Maude and Isabella, 1861
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