SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERA

1903

Evelyn Cameron Collection, Gift of the Estate of Janet Williams

1991.07.01 a-b

Eastern Montana photographer Evelyn Jephson Flower Cameron (1868-1928) refined her skills with a camera to support herself and her husband. Born into an affluent British family, Cameron settled in Montana in 1893 with her ornithologist husband Ewen. While Ewen devoted his time to the study of Montana's birds, Evelyn did everything else - cooking, housework, gardening, and running the couple's small ranch. Evelyn also worked to secure much-needed income - selling produce, taking in wealthy boarders, and establishing herself as a photographer. Self-taught, Cameron traveled widely, photographing her neighbors at work, rest, and play. In addition, she kept meticulous diaries detailing her daily life. Together, Cameron's photographs and diaries now comprise an unparalleled record, not only of Cameron's own life, but of Eastern Montana during the first quarter of the twentieth century.