Photograph of Herbert Wilson, head and shoulders, three-quarters right, right hand by his head, with moustache and beard.

Herbert Louther Wilson (1820-1905) was the son of Sir John Morillyon Wilson (1783-1868), a hero of the Napoleonic Wars. Following in his father’s footsteps, Herbert joined the army in 1845 but later sold his commission to establish himself as a portrait painter. He exhibited during the 1860s and 1870s at the Royal Academy, the British Institute and the Grosvenor Gallery.

Text adapted from Roger Fenton – Julia Margaret Cameron: Early British photographs from the Royal Collection, London, 2010