From Publishers Weekly:
Assembled from public and private collections the world over, the extraordinary images presented in this volume reflect the work of 73 women photographers from the mid-19th century to the present. They range from such early Victorian pioneers as Lady Clementina Hawarden to the recent work of Cindy Sherman, reconstructing a virtual pantheon. As well as encompassing the photographs of important early figures in the art--Julia Margaret Cameron, Gertrude Kasebier--Sullivan ( The Nude ) pays considerable attention to international modernist artists (Berenice Abbott, Imogen Cunningham, Germaine Krull, Dorothea Lange). Each photographer is represented by several examples of her work, eliciting a gamut of emotions from the viewer--cerebral admiration in the case of Margaret Bourke-White's shots of technology; horror in reponse to Lee Miller's depiction of the liberated Dachau concentration camp. Another service rendered by the book is the unveiling of obscure practitioners, such as the innovative English portraitist Madame Yevonde. A perceptive essay by art historian Janis provides a provocative critical framework for all.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal:
In the essay "Her Geometry," Janis uses analysis of an image by Gertrude Kasebier as a template for discussing the themes running through the history of women's photography. The tactic works well for the structural progression from the Victorian photo-decoupage of Lady Filmer through the Dada/Surrealist experiments of Hannah Hoch to Jan Groover's assemblages. It also ties the sexual illusion/power in the crinolines of Lady Clementina Hawarden's young girls to the more unabashed nudes of Sally Mann. Unfortunately, the impact of many contemporary women photographers is glossed over. That Judy Dater is not included as an explorer of female sexuality in imagery, Cindy Sherman is dealt with in a paragraph, and Barbara Kruger is not even mentioned weakens the essay considerably. The absence of an index is another drawback. It's too bad, since the plates are magnificent and production is first-rate.
- Kathy J. Anderson, Onondaga Cty. P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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