Utterly interesting

Julia Margaret Cameron didn’t just take photographs — she changed what photography could be. With her dreamy soft-focus portraits and emotional intensity, she transformed a mechanical craft into an art form, capturing not just faces but the souls behind them.

Imagine getting a hand-painted seascape as a dinner party favour. In 1887, Ivan Aivazovsky gifted 150 guests just that, miniature masterpieces painted on his own photograph. Discover how the great marine artist blended ego, innovation, and emotion

In the 1930s, Bruce Mozert turned Silver Springs, Florida, into a stage beneath the waves. His underwater photos of cocktail-sipping models and newspaper-reading swimmers made everyday life look magical.