Women Photographers: From Anna Atkins to Newsha Tavakolian

by Boris Friedewald

Now enlarged and updated, this introduction to great and famous women photographers from the 19th century to today features striking works of 60 artists, along with in-depth biographical and critical assessments.

Since the inception of photography as an art form nearly two hundred years ago, women have played an important role in the development of the genre, often pushing boundaries and defying social convention.

This comprehensive volume features sixty of the most important women photographers—including, new to this edition, Annette Kelm, Miho Kajioka, and Ming Smith.

Every artistic style and genre is represented moody and haunting portraits by Julia Margaret Cameron and Diane Arbus; highly personal images from Nan Goldin and Sally Mann; world- changing documentary photographs by Dorothea Lange and Berenice Abbot; scenes of everyday life from Lisette Model and Helen Levitt; fashion shoots from Lillian Bassman and Ellen von Unwerth.

Splendid reproductions of key works and an in-depth overview of each artist’s career and their contributions to the art of photography are featured along with biographical information and a contextual essay focusing on the impact of women in the history of the medium, which makes this an excellent illustrated reference.

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction, Art and Photography, Art History, Feminism

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 25, 2014

Reviews

[Vicky "phenkos"]

"A woman. A camera. An eye looking through the camera. A hand that presses the shutter at exactly the right moment. A picture is created. 'It is the eye that takes the picture, not the camera', Gisele Freund once observed. And every picture that the eye sees is directly linked with the person who made it. What the eye sees is a synthesis of everything that makes up an individual and at the same time what she has learnt, belives Graciela Iturbide. From the pioneers of photography during the nineteenth century to the shooting stars of today, the work of women photographers is as unique as their life stories - and their gaze."

Thus starts this book by Boris Friedewald on Women Photographers. The book follows a precise plan: 55 women photographers arranged in alphabetical order. Each photographer is given exactly four pages: one page of biographical information including a small photo, and three pages of photographic work. A democratising choice, one would think; no one gets more than four pages whatever their contribution to photography or their stardom. Also, the alphabetical order suggests an objective stance; the personal preferences of the author/editor are not allowed to influence the outcome. So which photographers are included here?

All the 'big names' such as Berenice Abbot, Julia Margaret Cameron, Dorothea Lange, and Sally Mann, and some lesser known practitioners, for example An-My Lê and Dayanita Singh. One wonders, though: why a male author writing a book about women photographers? Why another book on women photographers when there are already others? What new does it bring to the table? My sense is that the book will appeal to those seeking an introduction to the subject and would like, in particular, to look at the work of women photographers. In this sense, it is a useful and adequate introduction, but it doesn't go much deeper than that.

I couldn't help but compare the book to another volume on women photographers, this time by Constance Sullivan and Eugenia Parry Janis Women Photographers. Now out of print, that book published by Virago in 1990 has a much higher aesthetic quality, in my view. Works are arranged in chronological order, so you can see the evolution of the medium. In addition, the arrangement of the plates is dictated by a refined visual perceptiveness where shapes and patterns complement each other nicely. Finally, a useful introduction by Parry Janis contextualises the more general subject of women photographers offering an interesting perspective on the issue. Although the two books cover roughly the same ground in terms of names, I would recommend buying the older book if you can find a good used copy.

[Chelsey]

This is a nice introduction to women photographers, but it doesn't go into any real depth when discussing the artist or their work. It also focuses mainly on white women photographers, excluding many of the wonderful photographers of color who have had impact on the art world and who deserve to be included.

[Renaissancecat22]

This is a good book to pick up if you're completely uneducated on female photographers. It's a starting place to begin an exploration. But it's not much more than that. This is not just a photo book; there are entries for each woman that (including photo captions) are about the length of a short wikipedia page. Unfortunately the quality of the entries varies. Some women just had more compelling, better recorded, and more dramatic lives than others. Some entries suffer from the random thoughts of the author when the biographical details of the person or their own words might be more interesting. Also, frankly, some of the photographers are just better than others. Of course you can take into account personal taste but I think the author was particularly lazy in picking the more "modern" photographers (born after 1940).

[Anja]

feels like getting a sneak peek into history

[l]

my main complaint is that alphabetical order sucks and has no meaning.

also there are some weird orientalist vibes in the write up for rinko kawauchi....

also why isn't arbus included?

[Leigh]

From the earliest days of photography up to about the late '80's, this is the story of women photographers. Most came from an art background and were forced to fight sexism and discrimination in pursuing their passion for photography. Most of the photographers are relatively obscure. Notably, famous modern photographers such as Annie Leibovitz, Lynn Goldsmith, and Patti Smith (yes, she is a photographer and a musician) are omitted. Women reportage photographers are also excluded, with the sole exception of Dorothea Lange. All the photographers use film; very little mention of the digital arts. The photographers are from all over the world. Oddly enough, none of the photographs are especially well known, although "Migrant Mother" is included. So, this isn't a book about famous photographs that happen to be taken by women, so much as a book about the women themselves and how they practice and feel about their art.

The book was okay, moderately interesting.

[Willow Macleod]

I believe I am reading an updated version of this book because it has a new cover, btw. I love this book it’s so inspiring for artists of all sorts. It has photos that are heartbreaking, intriguing, happy and mysterious. Warning for anyone that hasn’t read this book before there is nudity but if you look past that the photos are so sensitive and beautiful. I love the recognition that women photographers are getting but I wish there were more women of colour. Also I appreciate that the author, a man, chose to write this book specifically and acknowledge these women’s contributions to this field.

[Rel]

I got this and looked through it a few years ago, after it came out, and at that time followed up on some of the photographers.

This time I did a deeper dive, and ordered for the library what I could find of everyone for whom there were in-print books.

I recommend this book for any public library, and anyone interested in photography and/or anyone interested in women's history.

[Vincent Eaton]

Very, very, very much the briefest of intros to women photographers. For each, a half a page bio, one to three photos max, then on to the next one. Nothing to truly expand one's deeper awareness of these individuals. Very Internet in its efforts, in that it mimics information, steering away from nourishing knowledge.

[Karen]

No

[Keidi]

It’s giving #OscarsSoWhite

[Bryan]

Not terribly comprehensive but a fanatic introduction into women's contributions to the art of photography throughout the history of the medium.

[Jessie Drew]

Five million stars for so many reasons. This book is more than worthy of your time. 🤍

[Kris]

This is a book to savor. So many talented photographers. Great bios too. I learned a lot ! It reminded me how photography is one of my favorite mediums!

[S J]

This was a good overview and well constructed, but how Annie Leibovitz doesn’t get a mention is beyond me.

[Kelly Sedinger]

I need to buy a copy of this. Loved it. Excellent summation of a group of woman photographers, and also terrific art.

[Leonard]

This thorough and extensive collection of women photographers includes recent ones as well as those long gone. I've been reading about photography, photographers, and the history of photography for many years, yet there were several photographers included in this collection who I had not heard of before. I appreciate the new information of women photographers whose work I had not see before. This was for me a very fascinating book.

[Diana Olesjuk]

It's a great introduction to the subject! However, the selection of photographers is a bit too German-centric, and oddly, the author completely ignores Eastern Europeans. Nevertheless, it's still a real gem!