Women of Photography
Did you know the first photograph appeared in 1826 and that the first woman ever photographed was Dorothy Catherine Draper in 1839? Like most other things in our history, photography was a man’s world. But all that changed in 1843 with Anna Atkins. Women may not have been in the forefront of the photography industry but they were making plenty of breakthroughs in the background. Take a look at these historical women in photography.
Anna Atkins
Largely recognized as the first woman to take a photograph, though many would argue that Constance Fox Talbot did so first. Anna published her findings on cyanotypes using photography in her book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions.
Frances Benjamin Johnston
One of America’s earliest photojournalists. She photographed portraits of Mark Twain, Susan B. Anthony, Booker T. Washington and members of the Roosevelt family, through her wealth and connections.
Lee Miller
Ex-model turned photographer, Lee Miller was the only female combat photographer in Europe during the Second World War.
Christina Bloom
Originally took up photography to save her family from financial ruin but is now considered the UK’s first female press photographer.
Dorothea Lange
A documentary photographer best know for her depression-era works. Her most iconic shot Migrant Mother hangs in the Library of Congress.
Margaret Bourke-White
The first American female war photojournalist and the first Western photographer permitted to take pictures in Soviet Union. One of her photographs was featured on the very first issue of LIFE magazine.
Vivian Maier
A street photographer in the 1950s that didn’t become famous until 2009 when photo collector John Maloof bought her undeveloped film in an auction at a storage space in Chicago.
Carrie Mae Weems
Focused mainly on black families and the role of the “traditional woman” her work showcases how those “ideas pigeonhole many woman into one narrative throughout their lives.”
Carol Guzy
A staff photographer for The Washington Post and the only photojournalist to win the Pulitzer Prize four times. Carol photographs natural disasters with an intimate eye and compassion to her subjects flight.
If you're ready to add some of Mother Nature’s beauty to your space check out my photography shop.
