A Gypsy Party by John Dillwyn Llewelyn, ca. 1853
This is a very early example of a narrative scene staged for the camera. The models are the photographer’s children. One girl reads the other’s palm while the boy reclines next to a fake campfire. J.D. Llewelyn learned about photography from William Henry Fox Talbot, his cousin-in-law and inventor of the calotype, or paper negative, process.
source: Victoria & Albert Museum
