Behind the Camera: American Women Photographers Who Shaped How We See the World

by Maria Ausherman, Fontaine Dunn (Foreword by), Amy Sancetta (Introduction)

Overview

Each of the women in this series stepped out of the bounds of physical and social expectations to pursue her personal vision through photography. Some were fortunate to have come from wealthy families who fostered their interests. Others had to make their way by supporting themselves, or they found encouragement from other, more established photographers.

Many chose to avoid or leave behind the comforts of married life at a time when marriage provided the primary source of financial security for a woman. Each of them surmounted the challenges they encountered in order to pursue their dreams. I hope their true stories inspire you, and I invite you to continue documenting and recording whatever is most important in your life through the ever-evolving tool of photography, just as these women did before you.

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Gertrude Kasebier (1852–1934)
Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864–1952)
Alice Austen (1866–1952)
Zaida Ben-Yusuf (1869–1933)
Anne Brigman (1869–1950)
Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870–1942)
Bayard Wootten (1875–1959)
Doris Ulmann (1882–1934)
Imogen Cunningham (1883–1976)
Elise Forrest Harleston (1891–1970)
Laura Gilpin (1891–1979)
Dorothea Lange (1895–1965)
Berenice Abbott (1898–1991)
Margaret Bourke–White (1904–1971)
Helen Levitt (1913–2009)
Carrie Mae Weems (b. 1953)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951541514
Publisher:	ORO Editions
Publication date:	04/27/2021
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Maria Ausherman is a high school teacher and independent scholar residing in Stuyvesant, New York. She is the author of The Photographic Legacy of Frances Benjamin Johnston published by the UniversityPress of Florida in 2009 as well as co-author with Patricia Jennings of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hawaii published by Koa Press in 2011. Ms. Ausherman completed her B.A. in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, received an M.A. in Cinema Studies from the City University of New York, and an M.Ed. in Social Science Education from the University of Georgia in Athens, where she also obtained a graduate certificate in historic preservation and completed coursework for a Ph.D. in Art.

Fontaine Dunn is an artist and writer currently living in upstate New York. She has taught painting and drawing at Sarah Lawrence College, Princeton University, and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. In addition, she has been an instructor of English for speakers of other languages. Ms. Dunn received her B.F.A. from Tulane Universityand her M.F.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University. She is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation.

Amy Sancetta covered many of the world’s biggest sporting events during her long career with the Associated Press. She photographed numerous Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series, Masters, and the FIFA World Cup, as well as the September 11th attack in NYC, political conventions, and feature stories across the country. She was the Associated Press’s national enterprise photographer, and won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize in feature photography along with a group of her colleagues for coverage of the 1992 presidential campaign.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Foreword : Amy Sancetta xi

Introduction : Fontaine Dunn 13

1 Gertrude Kasebier (1852-1934) 16

2 Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952) 26

3 Alice Austen (1866-1952) 39

4 Zaida Ben-Yusuf (1869-1933) 47

5 Anne Brigman (1869-1950) 57

6 Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870-1942) 69

7 Bayard Wootten (1875-1959) 80

8 Doris Ulmann (1882-1934) 91

9 Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976) 102

10 Elise Forrest Harleston (1891-1970) 113

11 Laura Gilpin (1891-1979) 122

12 Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) 133

13 Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) 144

14 Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971) 153

15 Helen Levitt (1913-2009) 164

16 Carrie Mae Weems (b. 1953) 173

Questions 183

Illustration Credits 185

About the Author & Contributors 193

Editorial Reviews

A timely, well-crafted and sensitive tribute to sixteen women photographers of the late nineteenth century up to the present. The powerful and creative collection of images presented here is further complemented by the individual life stories of each of these photographers and their personal sacrifices to create this slice of history. This is authentic and clearly relevant in these current times and an important read and visual resource of history through the lens of women driven to make a difference.” – Karen A. Hummel, fine artist and educator

“Behind the Camera: American Women Photographers Who Shaped How We See the World opens doors on history, opening eyes and hearts as it does. Cover to cover, every well written biography in it is an adventure! In a culture that tends to leave out significant women in art’s history, here is a rich description of gifted women who brought photography forward both in technical skill and in artistic merit. It's a very moving journey through to the end of the book: the women portrayed followed their dreams in an astonishing way, defying all the ‘norms’ of their days in early photography. Young people, young women in particular, will feel genuinely inspired to know of these focused, inspired, and inspiring photographers. Imagine learning of sixteen women, some of whom lived well into the twentieth century, who abandoned all customs of their day to bring this brand-new art form to the world! The book is wonderfully accessible without ever being condescending. The many photographs, a total of 82, carry the reader along like a magic spell. It’s hard to stop reading, and looking, and feeling the depth of the vision of each of these geniuses. In the early days of adolescence, youngsters need heroes to inspire them and beauty to surround them. This book gives them both!” - Patrice Maynard, Waldorf teacher and publisher

“Maria Ausherman’s compilation of 16 pioneering women photographers is a joy to read for anyone interested in our visual history. One life story weaves into the next, with the dominant thread being each woman’s willingness to reject social norms and take huge risks in pursuit of her work. This is a beautiful tribute to the famous and not-so-well known women photographers who came before us.” -Elise Amendola, Associated Press photojournalist

From the Publisher