Rare and unseen photographs of ladies in the Victorian Era shot by Lady Clementina Hawarden are to be auctioned at Bonhams, London, March 19, along with a pair of pencil sketches of her and her husband.
The photos that date back to the 1860s are perceived to be Britain's first ever fashion shoot and are expected to fetch about $ 236,000.
The 37 prints of photographs show her daughters as models dressed in long flamboyant skirts, scarves and hats typical of the era. Hawarden has chosen props like mirrors, books and furniture with intricate carvings. The collection of pictures is shot indoors as well as on the balcony and lawn and exudes an old world glamour and exoticism that is a rarity these days.
"It was pioneering for a woman to be taking photos like this at this point in the 19th century. Her output was prolific and she won awards for her work. She struck out into areas and depicted moods unknown to the art photographers of her age," Extravaganzi quoted Francesca Spickernell, photography specialist at Bonhams.
Spickernell added, "The photography scene at this point in history was dominated by males so for a female to achieve the amount of recognition she did in such a short space of time was a tremendous achievement. Most photography was very masculine and mostly architectural so these elegant, feminine shots really stood out at that time."
Hawarden was one of the first female photographers in Britain and was patronized by "Alice In Wonderland" writer Lewis Carroll. Not much is known about her life as she maintained a low profile except that she married Cornwallis Maude, 4th Viscount Hawarden, in 1845 and lived in London till 1857 before moving to Ireland.
Hawarden died in 1865 due to pneumonia aged 42.