Etheldreda Janet Laing (née Winkfield; 1872–1960) was a British photographer who is remembered for her early Autochrome photographs, which she began taking in 1908.Mark Jacobs, "Autochromes: Women photographers"
Luminous Lint. Retrieved 21 March 2013.

Biography

Born in Ely in 1872, Etheldreda was the daughter of Richard Winkfield, head of the King's School. After studying drawing in Cambridge, she married the barrister Charles Miskin Laing in 1895, after which the couple lived in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. In 1899, they moved to Bury Knowle House in the Oxford district of

Headington Headington is an eastern suburb of Oxford, in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames valley below, and bordering Marston, Oxford, Marston to the north-west, Cowley, Oxfordshire ...

. Enthralled with photography, which she appears to have practiced since the late 1890s, Etheldreda had her own darkroom built in the house. She showed an immediate interest in the Autochrome colour process when the plates first became available in 1907. From 1908 she took many photographs of her daughters Janet and Iris in the garden."Etheldreda Janet Laing, née Winkfield (1872–1960)"
Headington history: People. Retrieved 21 March 2013. In later life she painted miniatures and joined the

Royal Miniature Society The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers, more commonly known as the Royal Miniature Society (RMS), is an art society founded in 1895 dedicated to upholding and continuing the tradition of miniature painting and sculpture, ...

."Etheldreda Janet Laing"
National Media Museum. Retrieved 21 March 2013. Laing showed great care in her compositions, taking carefully posed shots, mainly in the garden where the light was good. There is also an indoor photograph of Janet in Japanese kimono, which was popular at the time. It probably required an exposure of up to one minute.

References

External links

Etheldreda Laing's Autochromes (1908–1910) from Science and Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laing, Etheldreda 1872 births 1960 deaths 20th-century English women artists 20th-century British women photographers Artists from Oxford English women photographers Photographers from Oxfordshire