What Was It Like to Be a Woman Photographer in the 19th and 20th Centuries?

From the ethereal celebrity portraits of Julia Margaret Cameron to the politically minded photographs of Tina Modotti, women photographers have left their mark on the medium since its earliest days.

But women photographers don’t always get their due. Their accomplishments have been obscured and, too often, forgotten. So we asked our social media followers to share their questions about what it was like to be a woman photographer in the 19th and 20th centuries. Curators and staff from the Getty Museum’s Department of Photographs—Carolyn Peter, Megan Catalano, Karen Hellman, and Miriam Katz—revealed the fascinating answers about the visionary, tenacious women who contributed thought-provoking work that advanced the medium of photography.

Who was the first woman to own her own studio and market her photography to the public?

Anna Atkins was one of the earliest photographers and she created what can be considered the first published books of photography: Photographs of British and Foreign Algae (1843–1853). The 12 installments were filled with cyanotypes of botanical samples that she collected from around the world.

While Atkins didn’t invent the cyanotype process—the photographic method that reproduces its subjects in white against a gorgeous Prussian blue background—she did use the process to its full potential.

Anna Atkins began marketing her photography in 1843 by sending each installment of her privately published book, British Algae, unbound and wrapped in cyanotyped blue paper, to her “botanical friends”: individuals and institutions who shared an interest in botany and photography. While Atkins wasn’t selling her photographs per se, this method did help get her name and images out into the world. In the true spirit of female-sister power, Atkins collaborated with her dear friend Anne Dixon in the monumental production of the thousands of cyanotypes for her British and Foreign Algae project as well as others.

In the 1860s, Julia Margaret Cameron had a studio on the Isle of Wight at her home, Dimbola. She would also travel to London to make portraits of people such as William Holman Hunt. She was an astute businesswoman who exhibited her work in well-established galleries such as Colnaghi. She also copyrighted her images and printed them in multiple formats so people with a range of budgets could afford them.

How many works by women photographers does Getty own, and would you consider doing an exhibition featuring these women and their lives?

Getty has the work of 370 women photographers in its collection, and we are actively acquiring more! Currently we have an exhibition up of the work of Imogen Cunningham, one of the most important photographers of the 20th century, and in November we will open an exhibition of the work of contemporary artist Uta Barth.

Did female photographers at the time concentrate in one field more than others?

In the 19th century women often ran households while also working in photography. Many women ran portrait studios, but they also made photographs while traveling abroad, as souvenirs as well as impressive landscape and architectural studies.

Was their work listed under an alias because women weren’t allowed to work in certain industries?

Sometimes! Some 19th-century female photographers ran their studios under their husbands' names even after they were widowed, or used only their first initial rather than their first name to hide their gender. One example of this was Lydia Bonfils, who ran a studio in Beirut with her husband, Félix Bonfils, called Maison Bonfils (later F. Bonfils et Cie). It is thought that Lydia was behind the camera for many of the studio’s portraits of women, though it is very difficult to tell which photographs were made by her.

Recent research is uncovering other hidden women, such as Helen Stuart, who was the wife—and probably the photography mentor—of William Mumler, the infamous “ghost photographer.”

Another example is Mary Ann Bustin, who ran the family portrait studio while her husband was the head of an art school. Her prints are marked with only her last name, relying on her husband’s fame.

Did women photographers develop their own film? I had a chemistry professor in the mid-1970s who wouldn't let my mostly female class into the chemistry lab. Said we'd either blow it up or burn it down.

Yes. Imogen Cunningham, who is currently highlighted in our exhibition galleries, had a darkroom in her home beginning when she was a teenager.

When were women in colonized nations able to engage in photography as professionals?

This is such an excellent question and opens up many new avenues of research! Women Photographers of the Pacific World, 1857–1930 could be an exciting book. This article is about photographers in African history. Here’s another recent book that also explores the gaps in histories of women photographers.

I would like to know if there were any notable Latina photographers?

Yes, though more research needs to be conducted. In the Getty collection you can look at amazing work by Lola Álvarez Bravo, Flor Garduño, Graciela Iturbide, Laura Aguilar, and Graciela Sacco.

Can you talk about Tina Modotti and how her work reflected her time in Mexico?

Tina Modotti was living in Hollywood and working as an actress when she met the photographer Edward Weston, who introduced her to photography. The two began a romantic relationship, with Weston serving as her mentor and partner. She first accompanied Weston to Mexico in 1923 while working as his assistant and apprentice. During her time there she published many of her images in the magazines Mexican Folkways and Formas. She also became a member of the Communist Party, which led to her deportation from the country in 1930. Like many artists, her political views influenced her work, as seen in this image of a laborer’s hands resting on the handle of a shovel.

Were any World War I or World War II photographers women?

Have you heard of Lee Miller? She began covering World War II in December 1942 as a photojournalist accredited by the US Army. Shedding her former life as a fashion photographer and former model, she traveled to the front lines of the war in different parts of Europe and was one of the first people to see the horrors of Dachau and Buchenwald upon their liberation. She didn’t shy away from showing some of the tougher sides of war and the aftermath of war.

By Lee Miller’s account, she accidentally happened upon the photography method of solarization in the darkroom when she inadvertently turned on the lights while developing a photograph. This led her and Man Ray to experiment further. They created some of their most interesting images using the solarization effects to their benefit. In these photographs, the black and white tones are reversed in such a way that a halo effect appears as a contour around the subject. While Man Ray is credited as the maker of many of these images, Miller was often his collaborative partner.

Who was the equivalent of Annie Leibovitz in the 19th century?

Julia Margaret Cameron could be called the 19th-century Annie Leibovitz. Cameron made portraits of the celebrities of Victorian England (Leibovitz is known for her celebrity portraits, too). Many of these poets, painters, well-known models, scientists, and actresses were her friends. Like Leibovitz, Cameron often asked her sitters to dress in elaborate costumes and play out parts in their poses. While Cameron’s photographs weren’t reproduced in glossy magazines, she did have them reproduced in the form of cartes-de-visite (calling cards) and cabinet cards, which were sold to the celebrities’ adoring fans.