A History of Women Photographers
The New York Public Library
October 19, 1996 - January 4, 1997
The New York Public Library is the premier venue for A History of Women Photographers, the first comprehensive international exhibition surveying women's contributions to photography. Organized by the Akron Art Museum and curated by its chief curator, Barbara Tannenbaum, and photographic historian Naomi Rosenblum, the exhibition reexamines the field of photography. It brings to light the contributions of unknown or forgotten women and establishes a context for them among the women photographers who have already achieved lasting fame. A History of Women Photographers opens in the D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Exhibition Hall at the Library's Center for the Humanities at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.
Women have been making photographs since the invention was announced in 1839, and by the early 20th century they had made a significant contribution to the growing photographic movements of the time. "While there has been a tremendous increase, both in numbers and prominence, of women working in the field over the last two decades," said Dr. Naomi Rosenblum, "the aim of this exhibition is to recover, and present to a wide public, the work of those who preceded them -- a great many of whom have been overlooked in historical and critical studies of the past."
The exhibition is historical in focus and includes approximately 234 vintage prints and publications made between 1850 and 1975 in Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia. These works, representing over 200 photographers, have come to New York from 134 museums, libraries, galleries, and private collections (including that of The New York Public Library) on four continents. In conjunction with the exhibition, additional historical works, as well as contemporary (post-1975) work, will be on view at approximately 30 museums, art galleries, and alternative art spaces in New York City as part of a citywide Festival of Women Photographers.
A History of Women Photographers is divided into eight thematic sections that demonstrate the range of women's participation in photography as a pastime, a professional occupation, and a means of personal expression. Their involvement with depicting the real world is visible in Jessie Tarbox Beals's (1870-1942) image of New York's Flatiron Building, in the section on "Landscape and the Urban Scene," while their attraction to the world of the symbolic is apparent in Anne W. Brigman's (1869-1950) Incantation -- from the section devoted to "Narrative and Allegorical Photographs." In its simple yet powerful composition, Brigman's image of a woman standing on a cliff, arms raised, suggests the possibility of women's freedom and intimate relationship with nature.
Women's professionalism in the commercial realm can be seen in images made for magazines and advertisements, such as Elizabeth Buehrmann's (1886-1962) elegant rendering of a man's hands lighting a cigar and Yva's (1900-1942) sensuous depiction of hands wearing bejeweled bracelets, both from the "Fashion, Advertising, and Theatrical Photography" section. Images by Olga Ignatovich (1905-1984) and Nair Benedicto (b. 1940) in the section on "Documentary Photography" are evidence of women's interest in all aspects of life, from the horrors of war to the pleasures of daily activities, while those by Hisae Imai (b. 1931) and Emily Medkova (1928-1985) in the section on "Experimental Photography" attest to their creative involvement with the medium. Other sections are "The Nude," "Portraiture," and "Still Life."
"In addition to the historical significance and psychological power of the images in the exhibition," Dr. Barbara Tannenbaum said, "there is the importance of the photographs as fine art objects." Most of the work is in black and white. "Within what we call black-and-white," said Babara Tannenbaum, "there is an enormous variety of processes, papers, surfaces, and printing styles. The 'colors' in this exhibition range from the chocolatey-plum of the pristine albumen prints of earlier days and the soft, rich grays of early 20th-century prints to the bolder contrasts of the more modern gelatin silver prints. This exhibition, with over 200 fine vintage photographs spanning almost the entire history of the medium, is not just about history and images -- it is also about the pleasure of looking."
Introductory Videotape
A short videotape introducing and dramatizing the history of women in photography will play continuously inside the exhibition. It was produced and directed by Nina Rosenblum, an award-winning documentary filmmaker.
A Festival of Women Photographers
The Festival is a citywide event in which approximately 30 museums, galleries, and nonprofit spaces around New York will feature the work of women photographers in exhibitions to be held between October 1996 and January 1997. The Festival will allow visitors to see not only other examples of work by artists included in A History of Women Photographers, but also work by artists active since 1975.
National Tour
After A History of Women Photographers closes at the Library on January 4, 1997, it will travel to The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. (February 13 - May 4, 1997); the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, Calif. (June 7 - August 17, 1997); and finally to the Akron Art Museum, Akron, Ohio (September 6 - November 2, 1997).
Publication
A History of Women Photographers, written by Naomi Rosenblum, co-curator of the exhibition, and published by Abbeville Press in 1994, fully explores the history and the contexts of the photographers' lives and their work. Hardcover; 356 pages; 263 illustrations; $60.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
