Excellent. I just went to a Dorothea Lange exhibit yesterday at the National Gallery of Art in DC and wanted to look at more her contemporaries. Cunningham was one on my list, so this is a great start.
Oh, I would have loved to see that exhibition! Glad you got to see it. And happy you enjoyed my read. She was a really inspiring and interesting person!
Thank you for the fascinating details of Ms. Cunningham with pertinent photos. I’ve feel she wasn’t appreciated as much as her male peers. Her focus on her art and her apparent humility is what I most admire.
You are very welcome. I am not sure if her work was less appreciated, but I am certain she is lesser than known than her colleagues Ansel Adams or Edward Weston. Her work definitely can easily keep up with theirs.
What a lovely piece and collection of work! I’ve heard the name Imogen Cunningham—thanks Susanne for bringing her story back to life. Three of my great-grandmas were the same age. It’s mind-boggling to think of all the women who had a stirring desire to do something other than “The three K’s” and were never able to. And how much talent was lost and never shared. Thanks Susanne for sharing this <3
I have been thinking about my grandmothers and great grandmothers too and how lucky I am to live today and in a country which is safe for me as a woman and where I have endless opportunities. Very grateful for that. And for your comment! Thank you for reading! It means a lot.
Wonderful, Susanne! A reminder for me to revisit her work. Another favorite photographer of mine is Ruth Bernhard— particularly her nudes. The female gaze exemplified. She also captured still lifes. And, she also lived an extraordinary life!
Another terrific article Susanne! I was familiar with her portraiture but hadn’t appreciated the true depth and breadth of her work. A fascinating and impactful life of a true original.
In my "Saved" folders on Instagram, I curate my own gallery of favorite photos that I run across in my feed. They are photographs that I find interesting for their beauty, composition, or subject. When I look back through that gallery occasionally, I notice that more of them come from the Imogen Cunningham Trust than any other account I follow. Her work really does stand out in so many ways.
Hello Susanne. Another iconic and I think trail blazing photographer is Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991). I came across her work a couple of years ago and was hugely impressed with the scope of her work and diversity. Again a woman ahead of her time.
Thank you for sharing about Imogen Cunningham and her also extraordinary life.
Phillip, thank you for your comment. And yes, Abbott is another iconic with a diverse body of work! She is on my list. Maybe I will write about her one day too.
This is great Susanne. This hit a soft spot since I'm a massive fan of all modernist photographers, especially female photographers even if they were influenced or mentored by men. Cant wait to see more posts like this!
Glad you like it, Xavi! You can definitely see she was one of the West Coast photographers. Who has influenced who I dare to say, but there are definitely similarities in the photographs of White, Cunningham and Weston for example. Can’t wait to read your letter about Modernist Photography!
I am glad I was able to introduce her to you. Her career and the body of work is truly impressive and inspiring. I am not sure if you are on Instagram, but the IC Trust has an active account sharing her work and it is absolutely amazing. But there are also affordable used copies of the book I have mentioned in the footnotes.
Thank you Susanne, I think I mentioned this before but I also notice the lack of female photographer in my photo book collection a few years ago and have slowly been lucky enough to add some, “Imogen Cunningham, A Retrospective” is one I now have and has been a continued source of inspiration. While you have mentioned what cultural and social barriers she overcame, I noticed how much she was respected by her male peers, a member of Group F/64, her teaching positions alongside Ansel Adams, Minor White and other influential photographers of the day.
Thank you, Rick! My book about Cunningham was one of the first photo books in my library. So, I thought it is a good start into the series. I had a chapter about the Group f/64 included, but took it out, because it was rather short-lived and the ideas of the group resonated only for a very short time with her. But yes, she was highly respected amongst Adams, Weston and White and their relationships lasted decades. I saw a short video how Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham were joking around while photographing each other. That made me laugh.
Thank you for reading and commenting (even though you probably already new everything about her)!
Thank you, yes I have been a student of photography for many years and while I may be familiar with some of the subjects of your musings, it does act as a wonderful prompt to go to the bookcase and revisit, Ms Cunningham’s book is now sitting in front of me, not buried in a bookcase. Also yours and everyone else’s insights into these photographers is appreciated and part of the journey! Thanks again
Thank you so much for sharing all this. I love Imogen Cunningham’s work but didn’t know the details about her life. It’s so interesting to read all this about her.
Glad you enjoyed it and you were able to learn something new about her. She must have been an interesting woman! Thank you for reading! The next female photographer is someone a little less known and still alive - I hope you will enjoy that one too!
Excellent. I just went to a Dorothea Lange exhibit yesterday at the National Gallery of Art in DC and wanted to look at more her contemporaries. Cunningham was one on my list, so this is a great start.
Oh, I would have loved to see that exhibition! Glad you got to see it. And happy you enjoyed my read. She was a really inspiring and interesting person!
Great read, thank you!
Thanks, Christel!
Thank you for the fascinating details of Ms. Cunningham with pertinent photos. I’ve feel she wasn’t appreciated as much as her male peers. Her focus on her art and her apparent humility is what I most admire.
You are very welcome. I am not sure if her work was less appreciated, but I am certain she is lesser than known than her colleagues Ansel Adams or Edward Weston. Her work definitely can easily keep up with theirs.
What a lovely piece and collection of work! I’ve heard the name Imogen Cunningham—thanks Susanne for bringing her story back to life. Three of my great-grandmas were the same age. It’s mind-boggling to think of all the women who had a stirring desire to do something other than “The three K’s” and were never able to. And how much talent was lost and never shared. Thanks Susanne for sharing this <3
I have been thinking about my grandmothers and great grandmothers too and how lucky I am to live today and in a country which is safe for me as a woman and where I have endless opportunities. Very grateful for that. And for your comment! Thank you for reading! It means a lot.
A really interesting article Susanne, thank you so much for sharing.
My pleasure! Thank you for reading, Gill!
Wonderful, Susanne! A reminder for me to revisit her work. Another favorite photographer of mine is Ruth Bernhard— particularly her nudes. The female gaze exemplified. She also captured still lifes. And, she also lived an extraordinary life!
Thank you, Stella! I am familiar with the name, but not with her work. At least nothing comes up right away. I will have a look. Thanks for the tip.
Another terrific article Susanne! I was familiar with her portraiture but hadn’t appreciated the true depth and breadth of her work. A fascinating and impactful life of a true original.
Thank you for your feedback! Her body of works is really something!
In my "Saved" folders on Instagram, I curate my own gallery of favorite photos that I run across in my feed. They are photographs that I find interesting for their beauty, composition, or subject. When I look back through that gallery occasionally, I notice that more of them come from the Imogen Cunningham Trust than any other account I follow. Her work really does stand out in so many ways.
I agree. And I am glad that the Trust keeps sharing her work online.
Hello Susanne. Another iconic and I think trail blazing photographer is Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991). I came across her work a couple of years ago and was hugely impressed with the scope of her work and diversity. Again a woman ahead of her time.
Thank you for sharing about Imogen Cunningham and her also extraordinary life.
Phillip, thank you for your comment. And yes, Abbott is another iconic with a diverse body of work! She is on my list. Maybe I will write about her one day too.
One of the greats!
Thank you, Susanne. I am on Instagram and will check out IC Trust.
This is great Susanne. This hit a soft spot since I'm a massive fan of all modernist photographers, especially female photographers even if they were influenced or mentored by men. Cant wait to see more posts like this!
Glad you like it, Xavi! You can definitely see she was one of the West Coast photographers. Who has influenced who I dare to say, but there are definitely similarities in the photographs of White, Cunningham and Weston for example. Can’t wait to read your letter about Modernist Photography!
Great article. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, Ralph!
What a terrific, well-researched (and cited -- impressive) post, Susanne!
I'd never heard of IC until now, but now plan to study her work and life.
Her portraits and self-portraits are amazing!
I am glad I was able to introduce her to you. Her career and the body of work is truly impressive and inspiring. I am not sure if you are on Instagram, but the IC Trust has an active account sharing her work and it is absolutely amazing. But there are also affordable used copies of the book I have mentioned in the footnotes.
Thank you Susanne, I think I mentioned this before but I also notice the lack of female photographer in my photo book collection a few years ago and have slowly been lucky enough to add some, “Imogen Cunningham, A Retrospective” is one I now have and has been a continued source of inspiration. While you have mentioned what cultural and social barriers she overcame, I noticed how much she was respected by her male peers, a member of Group F/64, her teaching positions alongside Ansel Adams, Minor White and other influential photographers of the day.
Thank you, Rick! My book about Cunningham was one of the first photo books in my library. So, I thought it is a good start into the series. I had a chapter about the Group f/64 included, but took it out, because it was rather short-lived and the ideas of the group resonated only for a very short time with her. But yes, she was highly respected amongst Adams, Weston and White and their relationships lasted decades. I saw a short video how Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham were joking around while photographing each other. That made me laugh.
Thank you for reading and commenting (even though you probably already new everything about her)!
Thank you, yes I have been a student of photography for many years and while I may be familiar with some of the subjects of your musings, it does act as a wonderful prompt to go to the bookcase and revisit, Ms Cunningham’s book is now sitting in front of me, not buried in a bookcase. Also yours and everyone else’s insights into these photographers is appreciated and part of the journey! Thanks again
I am glad to hear that! But I also hope, I will be able to introduce someone new to you at some point! ;-)
Thank you so much for sharing all this. I love Imogen Cunningham’s work but didn’t know the details about her life. It’s so interesting to read all this about her.
Glad you enjoyed it and you were able to learn something new about her. She must have been an interesting woman! Thank you for reading! The next female photographer is someone a little less known and still alive - I hope you will enjoy that one too!