 
That’s my favorite
quote from the National Geographic Society’s new book, Women
Photographers at National Geographic (National Geographic Books,
ISBN 0-7922-7689, $40). An unidentified male photographer (good
thing for him!) at National Geographicmagazine made that
statement—a photographer whom, I feel, just might be green with
envy when he sees one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring books
ever produced by the Society.
The book is not short. Its 272 pages are filled with 144 rich color
and mood-setting black and white pictures—such as Joanna Pinneo’s
picture of Black Panther militants waving guns and the outlawed
Palestine flag on a rooftop in the West Bank, Jodi Cobb’s soft
picture of New York Times Square at night, Dickey Chapelle’s
picture of children in a South Vietnam village, holding their ears
against the roar of mortar fire, and Pinneo's picture of the "running
of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain.
Unladylike indeed! Written by National Geographic
senior staff writer Cathy Newman, the book charts four generations
of women photographers. One of my favorite accounts is that of Dorothy
Hosmer, whose pictures documented her 1937 bicycle tour through
Romania—pictures that almost went unpublished because a male
editor thought they were very unladylike!
Another perspective. The book's foreword is written
by Tipper Gore—herself a published photographer—who has
come to understand the challenges faced by any photographer who
seeks to capture the human experience in her hard work. She writes,
"Rarely are photographers as subjects, and often little is known
about them. This book allows the reader to peer into the lives of
women behind the camera. Photographs taken by women have a unique
perspective on human interaction." Mrs. Gore continues, "What
is revealed through their feminine eye is an artful unveiling of
the spirit and a deeper understanding of the human experience."
Why a book devoted entirely to women photographers? Nina Hoffman,
President of National Geographic Books, who personally led the campaign
for the book explains: "National Geographic Books published
Women Photographers at National Geographic as a celebration
of the Society’s reliance on and little known history of women
photographers and their contribution to the general knowledge of
the world. When I joined the Geographic, I was not aware
of our female photographers' formidable contribution to our rich
photographic heritage, and it truly is a history to be celebrated."
Smiles and tears. Take a look through this magnificent
work, and you’ll get an insight on human conditions around
the world. Some of the pictures will bring a smile to your face,
like Annie Griffiths Belt’s picture of a stolen kiss between
an off-duty Israeli soldier and his girlfriend. Others will bring
a tear to your eye, like Lynn Johnson's picture of a young Nigerian
girl suffering from malnutrition in the arms of her mother. On that
note, Karen Kasmauski says, "While photographing the suffering
of mothers and children with AIDS in Uganda, I wept every day."
All the pictures in Women Photographers at National Geographic
will make you stop and think—as a photographer and as a person.
An exhibition featuring some of the photographers' finest work is
on display at the Newseum / NY in New York City until January 27,
2001.
Cover photo by Joanna B. Pinneo. Blanketed by sand, family members
nap in the mid-afternoon, Mali.
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