Photography – A Feminist History

Gender rights, roles and the camera: the story of women and nonbinary photographers from the 1800s to the present day

'An epic and fascinating book.' The Bookseller

'Emma Lewis' sprawling new book shines a light on overlooked feminist histories' - AnOther Magazine

How did the abolitionist movement interact with women's entry into the field of photography? What does the medium have to do with menstrual taboos? Is there even such a thing as a 'feminist image'?

Whether working in the studio or on the front line, women have contributed to every aspect of photography's short history. For some, gender is front and centre; for others, it's merely incidental. All have been affected by the power structures beyond their camera lenses. Far too many have been, and continue to be, overlooked.

Mapping photographic developments against shifting gender rights and roles, Photography - A Feminist History shines a light on how photography has borne witness to women's movements and made the causes for which they fight visible, and how, in turn, different approaches to feminism have given us ways of understanding photographs.

Authoritative and international in scope, Photography - A Feminist History features over 140 photographers, with ten thematic essays, and extended profiles on 75 key practitioners, many informed by conversations with the author.

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