Photographs, Pistols, and Parasols

Podcast coming July 2017 - stay tuned!

A podcast celebrating professional women photographers 1840-1930

If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten. 
— Rudyard Kipling

Photographs, Pistols, and Parasols tells the stories of talented women photographers whose extraordinary achievements in the early days of photography risk being forgotten. 

To me, history is all about telling stories. Whether in a lecture about these early women photographers or during a chance opportunity to describe my project to someone, I let a story drive the discussion. I might mention a description of a particular photo or technique, but only if it is central to better appreciating the story. After all, you might not know that photo technology circa 1860 required photographers to lug a darkroom around when they went on the road. But once you do know that, you can better appreciate the cleverness of the landscape photographer who turned her 19th century fashionable petticoat into a portable darkroom and her requisite parasol into a part of her photography toolbox. 

Some of the compelling stories from the lives of these remarkable women include

... the photojournalist who travelled the world in search of stories and photo ops, once hitching a ride on a navy warship

... the lady photographer who had a fateful encounter with an infamous train robber in the early 20th century

... the studio photographer who invented a new type of criminal mug shot when she worked as a police department photographer

... the itinerant photographer who travelled alone in a horse-drawn cart, carrying a pistol tucked in with her camera and photographic glass plates

... the American photographer whose skill at taking portrait photos made her the toast of Paris in the 1920s

The list goes on and on. It's striking, though, that typically only specialists in the field know about the amazing accomplishments of these early woman photographers. However, their stories offer the type of unexpected and unforgettable narratives that fit perfectly into a podcast. So I hope you’ll join me as we celebrate these early women photographers, all of whom started their careers between 1840-1930. 

Photographs, Pistols, and Parasols (aka P3 Podcastis targeted for launch in July 2017. At that time, I’ll be publishing episodes through the usual podcast places. For more information until the podcast launches, you can reach me through the contact form on this site. 

All images ©2007-2015  L. Lee McIntyre, unless otherwise noted. No material may be used without permission.