Evelyn Cameron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Evelyn Cameron
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Evelyn Cameron, seen standing upright on a horse.
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Evelyn Jephson Flower
August 26, 1868 Furze Down Park, near Streatham, England, United Kingdom
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| Died | December 26, 1928 (aged 60) Terry, Montana, United States
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| Occupation | photographer, rancher, farmer |
| Spouse(s) | Ewen Somerled Cameron |
Evelyn Cameron (born August 26, 1868 – died December 26, 1928) was a talented photographer and writer. She kept detailed diaries about her life as a pioneer in the American West. Evelyn lived near Terry, Montana, starting in the late 1890s. She is famous for her photos that show what life was like for early settlers in Eastern Montana. Her pictures capture cowboys, sheepherders, weddings, river crossings, and ranch work. She also photographed the beautiful badlands and wild animals like eagles, coyotes, and wolves.
Contents
Evelyn's Early Life and Learning
Evelyn Jephson Flower was born into a rich merchant family. This was at Furzedown Park, which is south of London, England. She was the eighth child from her father's second marriage. She had three older brothers and one older sister. Her father, Phillip William Flower, was a merchant in the East India Company. This job made sure his family lived a comfortable life in high society.
Evelyn received the usual education for rich young women. She could speak Italian, German, and French. She and her sister, Hilda, learned at home from a French teacher. Their mom was a composer, so Evelyn also learned a lot about music.
However, Evelyn loved being outdoors more than doing traditional indoor activities. She especially enjoyed horseback riding and hunting. This was true even before she moved to the wild lands of Montana.
Moving West: A New Adventure
Ewen Somerled Cameron was a friend of Evelyn's family. He was also a hunting buddy of Evelyn's oldest brother, Percy Flower. Ewen was more than ten years older than Evelyn. He was a Scotsman from the Orkney Islands. He loved studying birds, hunting, and riding horses. Ewen's previous marriage had ended before he and Evelyn started their journey.
Ewen and Evelyn began their first trip to Montana in 1889. They arrived in New York City in September. This was shortly after Evelyn's twenty-first birthday. On her birthday, she received money from her deceased father's will. This made her financially independent from her family. Her family did not approve of her traveling to America with Ewen.
Evelyn's brother Percy had hunted west of Miles City, Montana before. Following his path, the couple hunted along the Yellowstone River. They did this from November 1, 1889, to August 1, 1890. Evelyn later called this time her honeymoon.
After going back to Britain to get their belongings, the Camerons moved to Montana for good. This was in September 1891. Evelyn's brother Alec came with them. They started their first ranching business. Over the years, the Camerons lived on three different ranches near Terry, Montana. They tried raising polo ponies and cattle. Their time homesteading was interrupted when Ewen Cameron became ill. They also took a year-long trip back to Britain from 1900 to 1901.
Evelyn's Photography Career
Evelyn learned about photography from a person staying at their ranch house. In July 1894, Ewen bought their first camera. This person, an Irishman named Mr. Adams, taught Evelyn the basics of glass-plate photography. After he left, a Briton named Mr. Colley took his place. Mr. Colley taught Evelyn even more about photography. He helped her experiment to make her photos better. They tried different shutter times and ways to develop pictures.
Soon, people often asked Evelyn to photograph public events and special moments. She took pictures at weddings and made family portraits. Her husband also asked her to photograph wildlife.
Sharing Her Work
Evelyn's photos often went with her husband's notes about local animals. Some articles that used her work were "The Mule Deer in Montana" in a British magazine called Land and Water. Another was "Nesting of the Golden Eagle in Montana" from The Auk, a bird study journal. Evelyn was not given credit in these articles. However, she wrote an article in 1905 for The Breeder's Gazette in Chicago. It was called "Sheep in Montana" and included her photos of sheep ranches. For this article, she was listed as both the author and photographer.
Discovering Evelyn's Legacy
Evelyn's work became well-known across the country thanks to Donna Lucey. Donna Lucey was a former editor at Time-Life Books. In the late 1970s, Lucey found thousands of Evelyn's photos and negatives. She also found diaries and letters that covered thirty-six years of frontier life. These were hidden in the basement of Evelyn's best friend's home.
After studying the photos and documents, Lucey wrote a book. It was called Photographing Montana 1894-1928: The Life and Work of Evelyn Cameron. This book includes more than 170 of Evelyn's amazing pictures.
Most of Evelyn's photographs are now kept at the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana. You can also see prints and other items at the Evelyn Cameron museum in Terry, Montana. Many of her diaries and photos are available online. This was made possible by working with the Montana Memory Project.
Evelyn Cameron is also the subject of a PBS documentary. It is called Evelyn Cameron: Pictures From A Worthy Life.
Images for kids
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A robot for kids.
See also
In Spanish: Evelyn Cameron para niños
