Last year I visited the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris, also known as the water lily museum. The museum holds some of Claude Monet's Water Lilies or Nympheas stretched out on panels in an oval room.
This was one of my favorite exhibitions from not only Paris, but also in my time in Europe. I've always loved the art of Monet, and visiting this galley was incredibly special for me. However, we were surprised to discover that this little building on the outer corner of the garden of the Louvre held other galleries in the lower levels. One of the galleries was particularly striking, as it contained several dozen antique photographs from the turn of the century. The exhibition "Who's Afraid of Women Photographers? (1839-1919)" was an extensive collection of photographs by women artists.
I loved this gallery for two reasons:
First, every photo was incredibly clear and sharp, I couldn't believe they were all around 100 years old, let alone taken using the archaic technology of the time.
Second, the photographs were exactly what I looked for in art. Pretty, soft, and a little bit haunting. There were photos of children and animals, and depictions of love and female friendship. The women weren’t sexualized, rather it felt more like an appreciation of their beauty. I realized that the aesthetic achieved by these photographs appealed to me so much because other women took them.
There is something incredibly mystifying about the photographs- in part because of the airy, fuzzy nature of the film- but also in the fact that they were taken by women.
What drew these women to photography? Why did these scenes appeal to them? What was their greater purpose for the pictures? Was it simply art for art's sake?
The photographs are incredibly important because throughout history, women have been blocked from the art world. Except for remarkable women like Artemisia Gentileschi, women were barred from several mediums. Even the mediums women were allowed to use, weren't considered art (like embroidery and knitting.) With photography, women excelled, and not only that, brought about a new vision. They brought about a woman's perspective, creating a new style of work that focused on beauty, emotion and pain, mysticism, even motherhood and children. Without women's input, art has been lacking a vital perspective for hundreds of years. With photography, these women are making art for themselves.
The gallery prohibited patrons from taking their own photos of the works. But even now, the photographs still linger in my mind. While I can't remember which artists were a part of the exhibit, here are few female photographers from the time period:
1. Julia Margaret Cameron
La Madonna Riposata (1865)
A Study (1865-66)
The Parting of Lancelot and Guinevere (1874)
2. Alice Boughton
3. Anne Brigman
4. Gertrude Käsebier
The Manger (1899)
Again, these artists or photographs may or may not have been in the exhibit I saw in Paris. However, the meaning is the same. Women have done well in photography for over 100 years.