Women in the Dark: Female Photographers in the US, 1850-1900 by Katherine Manthorne

In the mid-19th century when there were few employment opportunities for women, the rise of photography opened new doors. This illustrated lecture recreates the experience of sitting for a woman photographer ca. 1860s and surveys the careers of several representative women: Matilda Moore in New York City; Candace Reed in Illinois; and Eliza Withington in California. Presenter Katherine Manthorne is on the Art History faculty at the Graduate Center of City University of New York. Prior to that, she was Director of the Research Center at Smithsonian's American Art Museum. Eager to better highlight the role of women within the visual culture of the Americas, she authored two recent books: "Women in the Dark: American Female Photographers 1850-1900" (Schiffer Publishing, 2020) and "Restless Enterprise: The Art and Life of Eliza Pratt Greatorex" (U. of California Press, 2020). She lives in the Champlain Valley with her husband, James Lancel McElhinney, and their cat, Maeve. Presented on December 5, 2020.