Exhibition Review: Women’s Work
Diane Arbus, Girl in a Shiny Dress, New York, 1967, Gelatin silver print, Museum purchase with funds provided by William and Carol A. Upham
Written by Ashley Mercado
The Museum of Arts in St.Petersburg, Florida, introduces Women’s Work: A Survey of Female Photographers, an exhibition that highlights the vital, undervalued, and unique contributions women have made in photography, moving from the nineteenth century forward. With this exhibition, the museum strives to overturn the notion that male photographers are responsible for all advancements in photography by giving talented women photographers their well-deserved and long overdue recognition.
Gertrude Kasebier was a nineteenth century portraitist photographer who captured women, family, and religious narratives. Kasabier took a traditionalist route with her work, which inspired other women photographers to follow her lead and pursue portraiture photography.
Ruth Bernhard, Classic Torso, 1952, Gelatin silver print, NEA & FACF photography purchase grant
© Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
Regarded as the “leading artistic portrait photographer of the day” by Alfred Steiglitz, Kasebier’s photographs showed the innocence and softness of family dynamics. Her photos were an escape from the harshness of the world: they displayed the tight and loving bonds among family members, especially children; and the women in her photographs had sensuality and refined beauty.
During the 1900s, women such as Ruth Bernard and Judy Dater embraced female nudity in photography with the goal of taking back women’s power from the male gaze. Bernard photographed a series of female nudes in a unique perspective on the objectification of women’s bodies, and Dater’s work experimented with female nudity by capturing deeply psychological nude portraits that pushed new interpretations of the female form.
Gertrude Käsebier, Happy Days, 1902, Platinum print, Gift of Miss Mina Turner, artist's granddaughter
Photography documented changing times, and women were at the forefront. Marion Post Wolcott and Dorothea Lange were two photographers with the Farm Security Administration who documented the extreme poverty that struck the American South as a result of the Great Depression. They created black-and-white photographs that reflected the poverty-stricken region. Wolcott’s and Lange’s powerful photographs raised awareness about the experiences of African American southerners during this time through their depictions of stark desolation.
Marion Post Wolcott, American, 1910–1990, Picnic on Running Board, 1941, Gelatin silver print, Gift of Dr. John Schloder in honor of Terence S. Leet and the Museum's 50th Anniversary
Imogen Cunningham’s photography reflected the advanced technology of World War II; her close-up shots of flowers were meant to look experimental with and had dramatic lighting, photograms, and reflections. She pushed the camera’s technology to its full advantage, resulting in stunningly beautiful photographs. Cunningham received a lot of attention and praise from her peers; the high level of clarity she created was a new form of photography.
Some women took on roles bigger than themselves by becoming photographic journalists. During World War II, the presence of woman in photography greatly increased. Maraget-Bourke White was first woman photojournalist to fly combat missions alongside the military in World War II.
© Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
Photography was not only a gateway to be immersed with stunning imagery, it was a way of activism. This exhibition demonstrates that women were not only photographing soft topics like children and family but were also heavily involved in global issues such as immigration, indigenous Australian stereotypes, and issues within the prison system
Women's Work: A Survey of Female Photographers is on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, Florida, through September 11, 2022.
