Viewfinders: Black Women Photographers (Paperback)

~ Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A survey of black women photographers from the 19th century to the present day
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe knew, as she wrote in the introduction, that she was not a pioneer; there must have been Black female photographers before her. Viewfinders is the product of her research into her predecessors. Filled with beautiful photographs-some of famous Black Americans-historical overviews from 1839 to 1985 and biographies of pioneering Black women photographers, this book is an inspiration for all photographers, particularly young Black women who have been searching without much luck for role models. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by KS

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Writers & Readers Publishing (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863161588
• ISBN-13: 978-0863161582
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,698,967 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of a book! A " must read" for all photographers!, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

My extensive search for a book on Black women photographers led me to this gem of a book. "Viewfinders" presents an historical perspective of the amazing Black women who were pioneers in photography. I learned about Eslanda Robeson, Elizabeth "Tex" Williams, Adine Williams, etc.-- women who inspired me (a Black woman) to become a professional photographer in a field dominated ny men. The book's bio-bibliography is an added "plus" because it lists the cities where the Black women photographers resided. "Viewfinders" is a great "coffee table" centerpiece and a "must read" for amateur and professional photographers. Kudos to Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Women Photographers Were Right There All Along, August 27, 2008

By	Michele Wallace (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present

This difficult to find book was a classic from the moment it first appeared, which I remember-- although I had no idea when it first came out how difficult it was going to be to subsequently put my hands on it again. It is a classic history of the black female participants in the field of photography, mostly journalistic or portrait photography (which I frankly prefer for the unsung aspects of history it drags with it).

As Moutoussamy-Ashe tells the story, these black women photographers have been there all along, apprenticing under the black men photographers, married to them or their daughters. As the men were elevated to a partial visibility (after HARLEM ON MY MIND at the Metropolitan in late 60s), the women never rose to attention with them. Like everything else black people ever did that was worthwhile, photography became identified with being a man.

Despite this mindless attempt to separate black men and women in yet another way, black photographers of whatever gender remain marginalized and underrated. Not quite sure why this is but it can be clearly perceived in looking at the present status of the two most famous African American male photographers ever-- Gordon Parks and James VanDerZee. That they are both dead after long rich lives doesn't help. Why doesn't everybody who graduates from college, black or white, know these two photographers, just as they know who Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are?

I think this may not be just the fault of the white corporatization and establishment control of communication resources but also because of the tendency black book audiences have to be oddly stingy when it comes to buying serious books of any kind, most particularly books including visual images and any sort of thoughtful commentary. And needless to say, no other category of reader can be guilt tripped at all concerning these works. Even if you can guilt trip other groups into buying our photography, the effectiveness of it comes and goes Only the people whose legacy is represented can be counted upon to stick with it. I witness this stinginess on a daily basis in my own household and all around me in Englewood, where there isn't a single bookstore worthy of the name and in upper Harlem where I work.

My suspicion is that a lot of us buy books to look at and display, which we don't bother to read so that information contained therein does no good, doesn't lead to anything. People don't know anything more than when they bought the book, maybe less because now they think they've done all they can do for the good health of the black image. It's not the buying of the book that transforms. It's the reading of the book! Of course, there isn't any time these days for reading so who is to blame?xz

Maybe you don't dig my analysis. Nevermind. Just get this book if you can find it-- it should be in the library somewhere or weed through the second hand market-- and it will straighten you out along with Deborah Willis's history of photography with link herein.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Way of Viewing, March 4, 2003

By	J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

What a gem this book is! This is certainly an area of photography unexplored by most. Though I've loved photography for decades, until I found this book I hadn't given much thought to women of color who photographed. When I think of difficulty that women such as Gilpin and Cunningham had in simply supporting themselves in the early days, how must it have been for these women, seemingly doubly handicapped!

One must respect the difficulty Mrs. Ashe encountered trying to uncover so many of the more obscure figures. My favorites were the women who operated commercial photographic studios, taking all types of 'hack' photography. Of course, we have now come to respect that type of photography as a form of documentary work, and some of these women did it beautifully. 'Tex', the military photographer, was another favorite.

Regardless of who you may find as a favorite of yours, as a work en toto this is a superb addition to any fan of photography.