Women Photographers: Revolutionaries 1937–1970 (Photofile)

Surveys the work of some of the best female photographers of the mid 20th century As global tensions rose and the Second World War began, many women photographers found themselves under threat or forced into exile. Others, such as Lee Miller and Margaret Bourke-White, worked as war reporters or documented the aftermath of the conflict, but a great number found new creative energy and an increased engagement with political themes. Photography became a universal language to communicate around the world, and it was used to demonstrate empathy with those outside the establishment and to provide glimpses into the daily lives of women everywhere.

Contents List

Introduction by Clara Bouveresse • The Photographers: Lee Miller • Marta Hoepffner • Kata Sugár • Gerda Taro • Elfriede Stegemeyer • Virna Haffer • Kati Horna • Lore Krüger • Hansel Mieth • Germaine Chaumel • Toni Frissell • Helen Levitt • Marion Post Wolcott • Ré Soupault • Rebecca Lepkoff • Esther Bubley • Lola Alvarez Bravo • Consuelo Kanaga • Genevieve Naylor • Julia Pirotte • Galina Sankova • Carlotta Corpron • Elsa Thiemann • Lisette Model • Ilse Bing • Rose Mandel • Sandra Weiner • Gita Lenz • Camilla Koffler (Ylla) • Yvonne Chevalier • Ida Wyman • Frances McLaughlin-Gill • Gisèle Freund • Édith Gérin • Grete Stern • Anita Conti • Hélène Hoppenot • Zofia Rydet • Denise Colomb • Vivian Maier • Janine Niépce • Karen Radkai • Sabine Weiss • Louise Dahl-Wolfe • Annemarie Heinrich • Grace Robertson • Marilyn Silverstone • Lillian Bassman • Gertrude Blom • Eve Arnold • Alicia d’Amico • Inge Morath • Alma Ruth Lavenson • Mariana Yampolsky • Ruth Bernhard • Agnès Varda • Judy Dater • Naomi Savage • Catherine Leroy • Abigail Heyman • Wendy Snyder MacNeil • Dorothy Bohm • Nancy Rexroth • Diane Arbus

About the Author

Clara Bouveresse is a lecturer at Université d’Evry Val d’Essonne and a photography specialist and curator. She co-organized the exhibition 'Magnum Manifesto' at the International Center of Photography, New York, in 2017, and edited the accompanying book, which was published by Thames & Hudson.