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In this landmark volume, Rosenblum (A World History of Photography) examines sympathetically the achievements of women in photography since its invention in 1839, and highlights society's failure to give them appropriate recognition. One research obstacle the author encountered was the 19th-century practice of men taking credit for work done by women. Here is work from 250 female camera artists, from Julia Margaret Cameron (b. 1815) to Annie Leibovitz (b. 1949), who, despite strong cultural resistance, mastered everything from early wet-plate views and portraits to 35 millimeter photojournalism, often initiating aesthetic and commercial improvements. Her chronicle of women's part in each era's artistic movements and media transitions, plus capsule biographies with an in-depth bibliography and index, make this a seminal reference work. The author's choice of 263 photographs seems to favor the esoteric, bringing to light a largely unknown world in vivid originality and broad archival conception.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Here is yet another publication that strives to rescue from oblivion the neglected achievements of women in the visual arts. Juxtaposing the past 155 years of photographic history with events from women's social history, Rosenblum (A World History of Photography, LJ 2/1/85) documents women's contributions to the technological, artistic, and experimental development of photography. Her feminist narrative explores women's creativity both as a means of self-expression and as a lucrative profession. The 36 color plates, along with over 200 black-and-white illustrations, include fine examples of portraiture, advertising, and photojournalism. The last section contains valuable thumbnail biographies of approximately 240 female photographers-from the obscure to the famous-whose illustrations appear in the text. An ambitious bibliography makes this a prime tool and stimulus for researchers. Highly recommended for photography, women's studies, and young adult collections.
Joan Levin, MLS, Chicago
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The essential illustrated history of women photographers, now updated and expanded to include women working in the twenty-first century.

Women have had a special relationship with the camera since the advent of photographic technology in the mid-nineteenth century. Photographers celebrated women as their subjects, from intimate family portraits and fashion spreads to artistic photography and nude studies, including Man Ray's Violon d'Ingres. Lesser known--and lesser studied--is the history of women photographers, who continue to make invaluable contributions to this flourishing art form.

A lengthy study with 416 pages and more than 300 illustrations, A History of Women Photographers is the only survey of women photographers working in the past three centuries, and it is impressively comprehensive. In this edition author Naomi Rosenblum expands the book's coverage, including new photographers and fifteen new images. There are several important revisions throughout the text and to the appendix of photographer biographies. Rosenblum also provides a new Afterword, in which she evaluates the influence of rapidly changing digital technology on the field of photography and how women photographers stand in the twenty-first century. A History of Women Photographers is a momentous contribution to the study of photography--and an important addition to any shutterbug's library.

324 illustrations, 38 in full color

From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by PH
Women have been creating photographic images since the medium was introduced in 1839. Yet, as is all too often the case, we still are "under:" "under-funded, under-exhibited, under-studied, under-represented." Focusing on the work of 240 photographers from the Americas and Europe, A History of Women Photographers reclaims women's contributions to this art form, exploring topics such as how photography responds to society's needs for different kinds of images at different times; the connection between what women created and the underlying economic and cultural conditions; and how photography enhanced individual women's lives. The book's highlight is, of course, the black and white reproductions of many of these exquisite works. Don't just leave it on the coffee table; read it and celebrate the women represented. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher
A comprehensive, eye-opening history of women's accomplishments in photography that ranges around the world and throughout the entire history of the medium. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author
Naomi Rosenblum, an independent curator and scholar who has written many articles and lectured extensively on a wide range of subjects in photography, first published A World History of Photography in 1984 (it is now in its fourth edition and is a popular course textbook). This is the second revision of her 1994 book, A History of Women Photographers. She lives in Long Island City, New York.