The Problem of Alice Kerr: Tracing a ‘Lost’ Victorian Photographer
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
8-3-2025 9:40 AM
Description
Meg Dolan, Ph.D. Candidate, University of St. Andrews, Scotland
The Problem of Alice Kerr: Tracing a ‘Lost’ Victorian Photographer
Lady Alice Kerr (later Gaisford) was an amateur photographer working in Britain the 1860s. Kerr and her work are largely unknown, and there is no scholarship devoted solely to her. However, there is evidence to suggest she was photographing alongside the likes of Julia Margaret Cameron and Oscar Gustave Rejlander at Little Holland House, the centre of Kensington’s social and artistic society in the early 1860s. In this paper, I will present my findings on Kerr to shed light on her life, work, and networks. I will also use my research into Kerr as a lens to identify ways in which we can resurrect histories of ‘forgotten’ photographers, and to detail the challenges that stand in the way.
Meg Dolan is a PhD Candidate in the University of St Andrews School of Art History and is Collections Development Manager at Edinburgh Printmakers. She researches depictions of archetypal women in early British narrative photography. Find her @megdolan on Bluesky and Instagram and @megdolanphoto on Twitter.
Relational Format
Conference proceeding
Recommended Citation
Dolan, Meg, "The Problem of Alice Kerr: Tracing a ‘Lost’ Victorian Photographer" (2025). Women of Photography: A 24-Hour Conference-a-thon Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025. 28.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/womenofphotography/2025/schedule/28
The Problem of Alice Kerr: Tracing a ‘Lost’ Victorian Photographer
Meg Dolan, Ph.D. Candidate, University of St. Andrews, Scotland
The Problem of Alice Kerr: Tracing a ‘Lost’ Victorian Photographer
Lady Alice Kerr (later Gaisford) was an amateur photographer working in Britain the 1860s. Kerr and her work are largely unknown, and there is no scholarship devoted solely to her. However, there is evidence to suggest she was photographing alongside the likes of Julia Margaret Cameron and Oscar Gustave Rejlander at Little Holland House, the centre of Kensington’s social and artistic society in the early 1860s. In this paper, I will present my findings on Kerr to shed light on her life, work, and networks. I will also use my research into Kerr as a lens to identify ways in which we can resurrect histories of ‘forgotten’ photographers, and to detail the challenges that stand in the way.
Meg Dolan is a PhD Candidate in the University of St Andrews School of Art History and is Collections Development Manager at Edinburgh Printmakers. She researches depictions of archetypal women in early British narrative photography. Find her @megdolan on Bluesky and Instagram and @megdolanphoto on Twitter.
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