The photograph titled “John Henning and Female Audience” is a creation of the artist duo Hill & Adamson and dates back to approximately 1844. The image depicts a Victorian scene with the central male figure, presumably John Henning, surrounded by a group of attentive female listeners.
In the photograph, it appears to be an intimate, informal gathering. John Henning is seated and seems to be engaged in conversation or storytelling, as suggested by his hand gesture, while the women are listening closely to him. The women are dressed in dresses typical of the period, with full skirts and styles indicative of the mid-19th century. The females are attentive, with various expressions of interest and engagement. The photograph has a blurry, ethereal quality common to early photography, which results in a lack of sharpness in the figures’ faces and details. The lighting of the photograph creates a soft focus effect, highlighting the gestural language of the scene and reinforcing the historical mood of the image.