Seven historical women photographers you should know –

You may have heard of some of the women photographers on this list. Maybe not all of them, but at least one or two, I’m guessing.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we wanted to share these seven women photographers who paved the way for women in the industry.

Julia Margaret Cameron (Jun 11, 1815 — Jan. 26, 1879)

“Growth is a spiral process, doubling back on itself, reassessing and regrouping.”

Likely one of the first photographers to use the medium as an art form. She used soft focus and manipulated her images further during the wet collodion process.

You can learn more about her life and work at the Met Museum.

Martha Holmes (Feb. 7, 1923 — Sept. 19, 2006)

Martha Holmes had her work published in People, Redbook, Coronet and Collier’s magazines. She exhibited her images worldwide in galleries that included the Louvre in Paris, the National Portrait Gallery and the International Center of Photography.

Her most famous image is that of painter Jackson Pollock working on a painting in his studio with a cigarette in his mouth.

You can see images and learn a bit more from the Hundred Heroines site.

Frances Benjamin Johnston (Jan. 15, 1864 — May 16, 1952)

Frances Benjamin Johnston is known as one of the earliest American women photojournalists. Her well-connected family gave her unique access to create portraits of the President, Susan B. Anthony, Mark Twain and Booker T. Washington.

You can see more of her work on the Hundred Heroines site.

Dorothea Lange (May 26, 1895 — Oct. 11, 1965)

I’m sure you’re very familiar with Dorothea Lange’s famous depression-era images or farmers and their displaced families. It is definitely worth looking further into her catalog of work to learn more about her photography and the importance of the subjects she documented.

Here is a short video on Dorothea Lange from the Hundred Heroines site.

Margaret Bourke-White (Jun 14 1904 — Aug. 27, 1971)

“Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.”

Margaret Bourke-White was best known as the first foreign photographer allowed to access and take photos of Soviet industry. She was the first American woman war photojournalist and also the first woman photographer for LIFE Magazine. She has the honor of having the first cover image as well.

You can learn more about her and see more images on the Hundred Heroines site.

Berenice Abbott (Jul 17, 1989 — Dec. 9, 1991)

“Photography helps people to see.”

Berenice Abbott was known for her black-and-white images of New York City — specifically the architecture and urban environmental photos.

Hansel Mieth (Apr. 9, 1909 — Feb. 14, 1998)

Hansel Mieth, born in Germany, worked as a photojournalist for LIFE Magazine in the United States. She was known for her images of the American working class in the 1930s and 1940s.

Here is a short video on Hansel Mieth from the Hundred Heroines site.

All images used with Wikimedia Commons permission.