Author Description

This splendidly produced book is the first published history of Australian women photogrphers. It reveals the remarkable number of talented women photographers, both amateur and professional, whose excellent work had, until recently, remained virtually unrecognised. Women such as Bernice Agar, Ruth Hollick, May and Mina Moore, and others of their ilk, who were some of the leading photographers of their day, are here given the prominence they deserve. Australian Women Photographers began with the authors' research for their exhibition of that name which toured Australia in 1981-82. The book positions the women's work within the framework of the cultural and social developments of the times in which they lived. As welll as providing the women with professional employment, the camera also gave them an additional role as recorders of domestic history. In the forty-five biographies in this book the authors describe the varied and often exciting activities undertaken by these women. Led by their cameras, women photographers adventured into fields hitherto unexplored by women. They travelled widely, frequently alone, and chronicled places and events which had previously been the province of their male counterparts. Many of the women who took these photographs are alive today and have told their stories to the authors. These women and the relatives of the earlier photographers have contributed photographs from private collections. These previously unpublished works provide us with a fascinating and valuable record of the past. Australian Women Photographers is a beautifully presented collection of over 180 photographs illustrating the work of these important women photographers.Above copied from front dustjacket.This is size A4 -Spelling is correct for UK English.