Wednesday 25 February 2026

1 - 2pm

Join photographer Emma Brown, who specialises in the wet plate collodion process championed by Julia Margaret Cameron, and author Jody Cooksley, whose novel The Glass House offers a fictional account of Cameron’s life and work, for a fascinating discussion at Watts Gallery.

Presented in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition Women of Influence: The Pattle Sisters—one of whom was the pioneering Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron—this event will explore the continuing resonance of Cameron’s artistic vision.

Emma Brown

Working with the same 19th-century wet plate collodion process that Cameron transformed into an expressive art form, Emma Brown will share insights into her own practice and explain how photographs are made using this captivating technique.

Jody Cooksley

Jody Cooksley will discuss the research and inspiration behind The Glass House, offering a literary perspective on Cameron’s life, her circle of influential women, and the ways in which fiction can illuminate the creative spirit. Together, their conversation will reveal the enduring magic of the collodion process and the timeless connection between artist, light, and image.

At the end of the discussion there will be an opportunity to view Emma’s work ‘A Snapshot at Watts’ newly installed in Limnerslease and signed copies of The Glass House will be available to purchase.