The Only Woman

by Immy Humes

As seen in The New York Times , The Atlantic , and The Telegraph A compelling gallery of women who made their way into a man's world, shown through group portraits each featuring a lone woman An original approach to gender equality, this striking pictorial statement brings to light the compelling and undeniable phenomenon of 'the only woman': across time and cultures, groups of artists, activists, scientists, servants, movie stars, or metal workers have often included exactly and only one woman. Covering examples from nearly 20 countries, from the advent of photography until the present day, author Immy Humes reveals and reframes how women and men have related socially in surprising and poignant ways. This is a fresh contribution to visual and cultural history full of unheard stories, courage, achievement, outrage, mystery, fun, and extraordinary women. A unique focus on women and men in public life from 1860 to the present day charting the phenomenon of 'the only woman' from countries including the USA and the UK, France, Peru, Mexico, India, China, Japan, and Australia. The book features both unknown and well-known women from a diverse range of backgrounds including writers, conductors, civil-rights leaders, domestic workers, sportswomen, and lawyers as well as princesses, railway workers, boxing promoters, and astronauts.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Photography, Feminism, Art

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 3, 2022

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm barely into it, but I gotta say, the introduction alone is a must-read (and view).
---
It may seem like 100 snapshot bios would get old, but not if you take your time. Each woman is unique unto herself, and each represents both unique and universal experiences that women have had in male-dominated fields or circumstances.

Sometimes they're Tokens, sometimes they're Mascots. Sometimes they're Firsts (pioneers), sometimes they're so far ahead of their time that they're the Only for a long time. Sometimes the men say, "I don't like a woman here, but at least you're not a N*." And sometimes the Black men don't welcome a woman in their group. And sometimes they're meant to be the Only one that is needed by the group to Represent their entire gender, leading to 'serial onlies' in some institutions.

Usually there are obstacles to overcome and harassments to cope with. Often the women shrug it off. Often the women like being the center of attention. Often they just want to do the job. Sometimes they see themselves as feminists, sometimes they were anti-suffrage.

In other words, every entry, every woman, is fascinating. So many of them have stories that would make terrific biographies, either popular or for dissertations. A few did write autobiographies; I think that I want to read With My Shoes Off

I was surprised to learn so much. For example, how sexist symphony orchestras have been. And just how many women, in many fields, filled in for men during wartimes (like Rosie the Riveter) and how hard men had to shove to push them back into domesticity after the wars. And how many fathers supported ambitious daughters.

Just a fascinating book. Terrific for everyone ages 12 up, or even a bit younger if you don't mind your child seeing a picture that has penises showing on male models.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book to gift a woman who would enjoy finding company in the world of being the only woman in the room at any time in her life. Humes has chosen 100 photographs of graduating classes, military academies, astronaut training, mining camps, medical schools, arts councils, and a middle school hockey team. Each photo identifies the biography of the woman, if known, and too many are unknown women. Why was she in the picture? Was she a mascot? A secretary? Or the first woman to graduate from a medical school? Some of the women you will know right away. Marie Curie, Janet Guthrie. Some of the pictures show the attitude of the men in the room. These are the most striking.

Along with "only" there is also "first." The first military diver, the first prime minister in her country, the first of every position in the world that excluded women from membership or attendance. Until.

I checked this book from the library, returned it, and bought my own. There are so many stories to be written! So much courage in these photos. Brava!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would’ve loved to see this book in a bigger coffee table format. Had to use a magnifying glass on some of images. Other than that it was a thought provoking collection.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One hundred photos each with a lone woman pictured in a group of men. Kudos to the author for her curiosity and doggedness in tracking down these vignettes; a full biography on any of these women would be fascinating to read. I was a little disheartened that this book was my first introduction to many of these historical females. I checked this book out of the library, but it may have to be purchased in order to spend more time with these photos and lives.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of curated photographs throughout the ages and around the world featuring one woman in a group of men. Is she the first? Is she the token? In that moment, she was the only. Each photograph is paired with historical context. There are some familiar faces like Dorothy Parker or Marie Curie, but a lot of unknowns or newly-mets like early day female scientists just (extraordinarily) getting the work done.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might buy this book. I read (but not cover to cover) a library copy. Every photo is effective, every story is well researched and well written. A book to dip into over and over. There is so much here.

[Karolína Kopka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly done. Around one hundred only women. From unknown to famous. It took me around 2 years to finish this book but I enjoyed every single bit of it. In my previous work, I was also the only woman. This book served as an inspiration and gave me mental support. I was the only, but by far I wasn’t the only one.

[Natalia Kimrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been wanting to ready more non-fiction, history and memoirs, and this was a perfect segue for me. Loved the photographs, but as other have said I wish it was larger to really see each woman. The little bios on each gave you just enough but I wanted more on some like Christine Lagarde and Martha Gellhorn.

“She is beauty, close to divinity, a powerful object of adoration; she is a prisoner and as close to the devil as to god.”

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a lot of older photographs, but I was surprised at how many of the photos came from my adult lifetime. Eye opening and important.

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fascinating. The only woman can be so exceptional that is hard for the next woman to come. What a paradox, i learned a lot and gained a lot of insights into various women's lives.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint is that the format is too small. These aging eyes struggled with the print and the photographs.
Why did such an important book not deserve a bolder format?

[Laura Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The photos are amazing and the blurbs about each woman were very interesting.
I can see perusing this off & on in the future.

[Adrienne Blaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here is coffee table book that explores the concept of “onliness” through 100 photographs depicting one woman in a group of men. I’m disappointed that the author herself admits these photos “are an idiosyncratic selection that does not aim to be representative or rigorous, scholarly, or political,” while at the same time saying, “this book is, essentially, a study of power.”

The author has provided some context for each image and attempts to share “the voices of the women,” but there’s a lot of unexamined power in the editing and telling of these stories. I’m curious why there is so much information about how these “only women” either ignored oppression or catered to their oppressors.

Most problematically, radical Civil Rights Movement activists like Gloria Richardson are unjustly grouped in the same book as the first woman police officer in 1920s Anaheim, California, which the author fails to mention was also a hotbed for the KKK and bogus eugenics science that inspired the Nazis. Instead we’re told it’s home to Disneyland, “The Happiest Place on Earth,” and orange groves.

For me, the book celebrates a version of neoliberal girlboss feminism that is uniquely 2022 and flattens the complicated history of feminism across time and space.

I recommend instead reading Frankie Mastrangelo’s thesis on “Theorizing #Girlboss Culture: Mediated Neoliberal Feminisms from Influencers to Multi-level Marketing Schemes” published in 2021 by the Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mastrangelo writes, “I define girlboss feminism as emergent, mediated formations of neoliberal feminism that equate feminist empowerment with financial success, market competition, individualized work-life balance, and curated digital and physical presences driven by self-monetization. I look toward how the mediation of girlboss feminism utilizes branded and affective engagements with representational politics, discourses of authenticity and rebellion, as well as meritocratic aspiration to promote cultural interest in conceptualizing feminism in ways that are divorced from collective, intersectional struggle. I question the stakes involved in reducing feminist interrogations and commitments to discourses of representation, visibility, and meritocracy.“

[JV Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is amazing - the photos are interesting and really enhanced by the well-researched text.
I highly recommend this as a gift; I gave it to my daughter!

[Nancy Roward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an awesome book.

[Thomas Warger · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to go to Wikipedia to learn who most of the featured women are. But that is part of the author's point--so many distinguished women and so little memory of them.

[Tamara Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Only Woman" is a nonfiction book highlighting one hundred group photos from various times in history and with the common pattern of there being only one woman in the photo.

The book consists of an introduction, the one hundred photos, a timeline of when the highlighted photos were taken, end notes, index, picture credits, and acknoowledgments.

In the introduction, author Immy Humes writes of her intial fixation with "the only woman" after seeig a photo of Shirley Clarke a lone woman filmmaker in a photo of men in taken in 1961 leading her to discover more photos of the sort including photos labeling an unknown woman as a "mascot" or a virgin who magically brought good fortune to men.In addition to highlighting women as macots, Humas also highlights women who were "the firsts" as well as "the token" which is best demonstrated through the comic book character Smurfette which was meant to represent all girls thorugh one girl. Humes ends the introduction by informing the reader that the purpose of her book is a study of power and clearly states that she is a documentaria, not a social scientist or a scholar, but she is hopeful that women in these professions will write books about this topic at some point.

Each photo hightlighted in the book consists of the woman's name (if known,) the woman's occupation (if known,) the city, state, and coy where the photo was taken, the year in which the photo was taken followed by information about the only woman, professional acheivements, and cause of death (if known.)

Fololowing a gallery of one hundred highlighted photos of atheletes, artists, activists, astronauts, politicans, chefs, criminals, and others, Humes presents a visual timeline from each time period with the oonly woman in each photo circled followed by end notes, picture credits, and acknowledgments from Humes and the book's publisher.

As I finished this book, I was fascinated by seeing so many photographs of solo women in group photos of men but was also inspired by the tenacity each woman had to emobdy to fight for an opportunity to be included in the photo, even if the woman is unnamed. Overall, this book served as a reminder that although women have made strides in all aspects of world affairs, patriarchy is forever present in all industries which is shown by how in some cases, the only woman is the only woman for some time or the only women is mentioned in a lesser degree or removed from history altogether.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a perfect coffee table book, if only it were larger. The small format makes it very difficult to see the women in some of the photos.

Otherwise, this is a wonderful book that you can flip through and learn about women who were often the “first” women to be included in an event or occupation. One of my favourites was that of Ethel Benjamin, the first female lawyer in New Zealand, who stands with her 1902 graduating law class with this knowing little smile on her face. After you read the text, all you can think is “You go, girl!” Likewise, the photo of Jeannette Rankin, the first elected US congresswoman, is mind blowing. There she sits in the middle of a sea of a couple of hundred men. How did she feel? Another favourite was that of Andrea Motley Crabtree, the first woman deep sea diver for the US army. It was taken in 1982, and the look of disgust being tossed her way by one of her fellow divers (a man who did not pass the diving requirements) says it all.

Sadly, many of the “first” or “only” women faced open hostility, but we owe these women so much. They paved the way for today’s women to enter whatever field we want. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than what these brave women faced.

Some of the photos were pushing the theme a bit (I’m not sure if the photo of then Lady Diana Spencer really qualified), but they are few and far between. Most interested me, and I just skipped the few that didn’t. For the most part, the photos and text are informative and fascinating. Like they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humes has assembled here a fascinating, educational and eye-opening compilation of photographs, both historical and contemporary, in which a single woman features among anything from a handful to several hundred men. Some of these women were simply in the right place at the right time, while a great many others had courageously demanded admittance to fields, trades, affiliations, societies and other arenas previously reserved only for men. It appears that every effort had been made to identify the women in these photos, though clearly some were impossible due to either the passage of time or poor record-keeping. I would have loved to have learned more about Humes' process for sourcing all of these photos as it is an impressively diverse and varied collection. It isn't as though you can easily google "photos of lots of men but only one woman." A must-have for any women's history display.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of photos is remarkable due to the detailed research and explanations about the women featured, as well as the context of their situations. I appreciate the diversity of women included in this book, starting from the 1860s. Although I was not familiar with many of them, the information provided offered valuable insights into their lives and work. This book serves as an educational resource about women who were pioneers in their fields, making it particularly informative for young ladies.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding collection of photos with detailed notes, each one showing one woman surrounded by all men, collected from many eras and nations. It was fascinating to learn about these women, and to see how far we have (or in many cases, haven’t) come. The author obviously did a lot of research, and it pays off with a book that really captured my attention! I’ve already recommended it to multiple friends and family members ❤️

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the concept of this book, the photos, and the fascinating information. Unfortunately, I thought the weak spot was the writing. The author's overuse of "only" and "first" as nouns and the occasional poorly constructed sentence led to some confusing writing. But overall it's a very worthwhile book.

[Steve Willey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little book. A nicely curated set of photographs each with only one woman. Immy Humes did a great deal of research and provides the background story for most of the photographs putting each story in appropriate social & cultural context. The book is educational, informative, and entertaining. I would recommend this book.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each page of this book has a photograph a group of people throughout history. Only one female is present in each picture. The author writes a short description describing the event making you realize how rare it is for women to be included right up to modern times.
The ones of the people pictured are also there.

I think everyone should see and read this!!

[Benevbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great book! Photographs and biographies about the singular woman in pictures surrounded by men. So many interesting women in here - heard and unheard of. I found out information about lots of different women from all over the world and found some new feminine heroes I didn't know about before.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but this book contained information in blurbs short and poignant enough to keep my attention. It’s a retelling of history. A shoutout to the millions of women who have walked before us and the millions more who will march on in the future.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A photography book consisting of group photos across history featuring a lone woman surrounded by men in various sectors and situations. Each photo is accompanied with the story behind it. A fascinating look at how women have been excluded and sort of included over time.

[D Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page after page of photos and short essays on them is a great way to think about how much society has changed. And still how far women have to go to be on shared ground. I feel inspired. It was fascinating to go through each photo. It’s a great jumping off point on some of the people mentioned but also about history.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool book!

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a small version of a coffee table book. Enjoyable hit or miss photos. Some shocking some delightfully ridiculous. Short blurs of the where, when and who is who. I could have taken it or left it.