Pioneers in Nordic Photography [Icelandic]

Symposium on women in Nordic photography and presentation of the book Striving for Independence: Nordic Women Studio Photographers 1860 – 1920.

On Thursday, October 15, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM, the National Museum of Iceland and the Institute of Research in Literature and the Arts at the University of Iceland will host a symposium on women in Nordic photography between 1860 and 1920. The symposium is held in conjunction with the publication of the book Striving for Independence: Nordic Women Studio Photographers, 1860–1920.

Striving for Independence: Nordic Women Studio Photographers 1860–1920 is an international scholarly publication examining women who worked as photographers across the Nordic region during this period. Through new research and unique imagery, it highlights women as pioneers, artists, and trailblazers in the profession, focusing on how women's work in the world of photography created new opportunities for economic and political independence. The research presented in the book shows that female photographers, ranging from those in major cities like Copenhagen and Stockholm to those in smaller towns in Finland and Iceland, shared many commonalities and exerted a decisive influence on both the development of the profession and the status of women in society. Many who ran their own studios hired only women as assistants; some never married, while others lived in lifelong relationships with women. Furthermore, these pioneers belonged to a generation that, for the first time, had the power to define and shape how they themselves and other women were portrayed in imagery.

During this period, a significant number of women worked as photographers in Iceland; they sought training in Denmark and Germany, and some operated their own studios in Iceland for varying lengths of time. In doing so, they were able not only to pursue their chosen profession, and even cultivate independent artistic work, but also to support themselves and their families, remaining financially independent of others.

At the symposium, Æsa Sigurjónsdóttir, Sigrún Alba Sigurðardóttir, and Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir will present their research on Icelandic photographers from that period and discuss the book.

Light refreshments will be served following the symposium.