Blessed Art Thou Among Women Summary

Analysis and Critical Inquiry: Blessed Art Thou Among Women (1899)

Late nineteenth to early twentieth century was a formidable era for photography. A particularly talented portrait photographer by the name of Gertrude Käsebier made a name for herself in an industry often biased against female artisans. “She was known for her evocative images of motherhood, her powerful portraits on Native Americans and her promotion of photography as a career woman” (Masters of Photography). “She was associated with other famous photographers such as Edward Steichen and Alvin Langdon Coburn, Alfred Stieglitz and Clarence H. White. She became especially close to Clarence H. White and went on to collaborate on exhibitions and projects together, most notably the exhibit: Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession. Her career ultimately brought her to

This specific photography utilizes Photogravure, “a process of intaglio printmaking or photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is coated with a light-sensitive gelatin tissue which had been exposed to a film positive, and then etched, resulting in a high quality intaglio print that can reproduce the detail and continuous tones of a photograph” (Artist) This process is an obvious choice considering the technology at the time. This was the most advanced and expedient procees in which to create lasting photos and was popular amoung most photographers at this time. This photograph was taken relatively soon after the invention of photography in fact Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor himself, developed the process used to create this photo. Replications of this photo usually are printed using platinum prints which provides the widest tonal range. This is a common print process in black and white photos, as black and white photography only has two tones to utalize; therefore it needs a range to show the largest gradation of white to gray, to