As shown by the publication of “Une histoire des femmes photographes” (Textuel, 2020), a book that brings together articles by historians from all over the world, this subject is reflective of a fundamental part of what needs to be written in the forthcoming photography history. This slide-show project aims to be a part of a writing on the history of women photographers, while shedding light on the links between feminism, sociology and photography in a founding period for women rights. 

About the curator

Isabella Seniuta is a Research Assistant at the Department of Photography of the Centre Pompidou. She received her PhD in Art History at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in 2020. Her research interests include Sociology of Art, Feminism and Queer studies.

Photographers have had a long lasting fascination with both the spaces and objects of academia. British photography pioneer, William Henry Fox Talbot, at the medium’s very inception, focused his lens squarely on the University of Oxford making several trips to the city between 1843 and 1846. It was with an image of the Queens College, Oxford that he chose to open his seminal book, The Pencil of Nature (1844), later including in it an image showing a collection of books on a shelf titled, A Scene in A Library, which further secured this relationship. Exploring the role of women and photography at this time reveals that the first photographically illustrated book was made by a woman, British photographer Anna Atkins who published Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in 1843. 

Photography and the Book, is an exhibition that explores the work of 6 contemporary female photographers whose practices continue to make connections between photography and the book. Mari Mahr and Joanna Vestey will show work that will be supported by books and a screen presentation showing Chloe Dewe Mathews series, ‘In Search of Frankenstein’, Candida Höfer’s Libraries work, Dayanita Singh’s, Museum of Chance, along with Tomoko Yoneda’s, Between Visible and Invisible.

The book has a rich history in Oxford, which can be traced back to the earliest days of printing, two years after William Caxton set up the first printing press in England the first book was printed in the city in 1478. Oxford has more than 100 libraries and has provided the setting for over 500 books.

Through its powerful, socially committed picture stories, Picture Post helped to transform post-war Britain, and change the face of British photography.

The remarkable story of this iconic magazine is told by its photographers, writers and editors.  Leading contemporary photographers reflect on Picture Post’s extraordinary images and influence.

About the filmmaker

Rob West is an independent filmmaker. His first feature-length documentary, “Tales from the Two Puddings”, about the legendary Two Puddings pub in Stratford, East London, won the 2017 UVFF Best Documentary Award. He has produced and directed a number of short documentaries in London, Bangladesh, East Africa and Cambodia, exploring the stories of communities in unique environments.