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Bertha Wehnert beckmann
Beckmann was born in Cottbus, Bradenburg. She first worked as a hairdresser in 1839, this is where she met her husband Eduard Wehnert a photographer. He introduced her to daguerrotyping and the color tinting process in glass negatives. Together both her and her husband opened up a studio, she became Germany's first professional female photographer. After her husband died she continued the business. Later in 1849 she moved to New York where she opened up her own studio. -
Margaret Watkins
Margaret Watkins was a Canadian photographer who is best known for her contributions to advertising photography. Not only did she do advertising photography she also photographed landscapes, portraits, still life, and street scenes. She grew up in Hamilton Ontario and moved to New York City in 1915. She worked for the photographer Alice Boughton while studying at a school of photography. In 1928 she left to Glasgow and was the first female member of the Glasgow photographic association. -
Homai Vyarawalla
Homai was India's first woman photojournalist, she was active in the late 1930s and retired in the early 1970s. She had a pseudonym, Dalda 13, under that name is what many Indians knew her as. She is best known for her photographs of world leaders such as U.S presidents. After her husband died in 1970 she decided to quit on photography because the new generation of photographers had different intentions and she did not want to be a part of it. -
Dorthea Lange
Dorthea Lange was an American photojournalist. Her most influential work was for the Farm Security Administration showcasing the depression era and the struggles people endured. Her work brought attention to the people of the working class such as sharecroppers, displaced farm families, and migrant workers to the public. -
Gerda Taro
Gerda Taro was a Jewish photographer who was born in Galicia then later her familiy moved to Germany. Taro is regarded to be the first female photographer to photograph the front lines of war and to die while doing so. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936 Taro traveled to Barcelone to photograph the events. In 1937 Taro's photographs were in high demand by the International press. Taro died during her coverage of the Republican army retreat at the Battle of Brunete. -
Margaret Bourke-White
Margaret was an American photojournalist, she was the first female photographer for life magazine. Her photo of Fort Peck dam was featured as the cover of the first Life magazine issue. Bourke-White was the first woman allowed to work in combat zones in world war 2, she also was the first female war correspondent. She was the first for a lot of historic events, making her one othe most influential female photographers. -
Claude Cahun
Claude Cahun was a french photographer who often undermined the traditional concepts of gender roles. She's best known for her self portraits in which she depicted herself as either male or female. By doing this she broke the barrier of gender roles. In 1937 Cahun and her partner became active propagandists during world war 2, they made anti german fliers and strategically placed them in places such as German events. -
Helen Levitt
Levitte is considered to be an underrepresented street photographer. Not only did she partake in photography but she was also into film, she filmed two documentaries in the late 1940s titled "James Agee: In the street" and " The quiet one". In 1960 she recieved two grants to take street photography in New York. Levitt's work was included in MoMA's first photography exhibition in 1948 -
Eve Arnold
Eve Arnold was one of the first woman photographers to join the prestigious Mangum Photography Agency in the late 1950s. The Magnum photography agency consisted mostly of men and a select few women. Arnold is best known for her candid shots of celebrities and photographs of marilyn monroe. During the 1950s women with careers were rare, Eve made a name for herself and proved photography was something anyone can do by joining the Magnum Photography Agency. -
Jill Furmanovsky
Jill Furmanovsky is best known for her rock photography. After only 2 weeks of photography training she was hired to be the official photographer for London's premier rock venue, the Rainbow theatre. She's photographed the biggest names in rock music: including, Bob dylan, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Ramones, Oasis, and The sex Pistols. She's recieved several awards for her photographs and started a website which featured her own photography and that of other rock photographers. -
Nan Goldin
Nan Goldin is best known for her photographs showing her own past of addictive drugs and sexual activities. After the death of her sister Nan left home at the age of 13 and took part in a life of drugs, sex and violence. Her first photos to be published were of friends she lived with when she was 18 who happened to be drag queens. Goldin admired and respected their sexuality and through her photo series she wasnted to show them as a gender option or sexual option and to glorify them. -
Carrie Mae Weems
Carrie Mae Weems uses photography to focus on the serious issues that African Americans face today. These issues being racism, gender relations, politics, and personal identity. She has several photographical series revolving around issues that African Americans face, her most well known being The Kitchen Table Series. Her award winning photographs have been featured in over 50 exhibits in the U.S and abroad. -
Frauke Eigen
Frauke Eigen is a German photojournalist, she studied at the Royal College of Art in London. During the Kosovo War non Albanian refugees fled Kosovo because of the war during the late 1990s. Eigen worked as a photojournalist for a government relief organisation in Kosovo. During that time she heard that mass graves of the people who were killed in war were being dug up. Instead of photographing the bodies, Eigen found their belongings more emotionally moving and photographed those instead. -
Annie Griffiths
Annie is best known for her landscape photography and was the first female photographer to work for national geographic. Griffith is the executive director of RIpple Effect Images which is an organization that helps cover under reported issues that impact womena and girls all around the world. Griffith and the rest of the team help by raising awareness through photographs and their partners help fund women all over the globe. -
Zohra Bensemra
Zohra is an Algerian photographer still working today. Her photography covers conflicts such as humanitarian issues and stories about women and politics in the Middle East and North Africa. She started taking photos when she was only 6 years old and was influenced by her older brother who was an amateur photographer. Her goal through these photos is to promote a better understanding of the conflict and improve the situation and to find a solution to these problems.
