Photographs, Pistols & Parasols

I love hearing about the lives of these fascinating women.

L Lee McIntyre’s blog is impeccably researched. She brings these women’s lives to life as she puts facts together. Each women comes alive and their photographic techniques and creativity are introduced to the reader/listener as Mcintyre removes them from obscurity. McIntyre also explains the subtle and overt difference between the sexes, for example, Miss C. Smith’s pod cast indicates that prior to the 1860’s census, women’s occupations were not recorded. I recommend this podcast to anyone interested in photography, women’s history and how to research.

I am the photo archivist for the Special Collections Department of the Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs. I worked with Lee during her visit to our archives. Her research techniques were meticulous, her scope comprehensive, and her documentation thorough. If she says it happened, you can count on it. These podcasts may be the best available source on early women photographers in existence. Highly recommended!!!

This podcast has opened my eyes to what a professional could achieve in the U.S. in the 19th century, even if that professional was a woman. The accounts are most engaging, as are the photographs, and the full transcripts of the podcasts and the extras on the accompanying website and Pinterest board are a plus.