Wendy welcomed everyone, saying it was lovely to see so many familiar faces and some new ones for our first Story Cafe of 2025.
Today we celebrated early women photographers in fiction and there was a good selection of books on women photographers both past and present from GWL stock for us to look at after the break.
The Secrets of Blythswood Square by Sara Sheridan, set in 1846, tells the story of Ellory Mann a working class woman who, while working for photographer David Octavius Hill in Edinburgh, is given the opportunity to set up her own photography studio in Glasgow. Her paths cross with Charlotte Nicholl, a middle class heiress in Glasgow, and a friendship blossoms…
Ellory was the main focus for us and Wendy and I read two pieces from the beginning of the book. The first shows how assumptions were made about women’s abilities and the failure to listen to their opinions. The second tells how Ellory, a fascinating and feisty character, is enabled to break free of these constraints.
In the discussion that followed we spoke of the limits placed on women’s freedom to act independently, the expectation that they would marry and defer to their husbands, the role of the Free Church in the lives of middle class Glaswegians and the hypocrisy practised by so many in that society. We were also fascinated by the details of the early photographic processes and the difference between a photograph and a painting – “She realised that while the best paintings are visions or dreams, a photograph feels like a memory, whether or not you are there when it was made”.
No poetry today but lots of lovely photography books to browse through and after the break Wendy introduced us to three amazing women photographers….
Lola Alvarez Bravo (1907-1993)
One of Mexico’s first women photographers, Lola Álvarez Bravo developed a thick skin in the male-dominated industry. As she once said, “I was the only woman fooling around with a camera on the streets and the reporters laughed at me. So I became a fighter.” She travelled throughout Mexico documenting scenes of everyday life. She was friends with artist Frida Kahlo, taking many photographs of her, and like Frida, she celebrated the traditional costumes and customs of her country’s varied regions.
Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson (1876-1958)
MEM Donaldson was an early 20th century British author and photography pioneer. She travelled extensively through the western and northern Highlands, capturing images of historic or archaeological places that even today would be difficult to reach with modern modes of transport.
She said: ‘As regards to my literary and photographic efforts, they received every discouragement … I had no influence whatever – nor have I yet – to help me along and indeed in this and every other department of my interests, I have had to fight alone with my back to the wall.’
She was always to be seen with notebook in hand, drawing maps and following the paths of the crofters.
Florestine Perrault Collins (1895-1988)
Florestine Perrault Collins was an American photographer based in New Orleans. Out of 101 African-American women who identified themselves as photographers in the 1920 U.S. Census, Collins was the only one in the New Orleans area. She was featured in the 2014 documentary, Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People. She is recognized as a photographer who went against the very popular narrative of negative portrayals of African Americans in the media, working with her clients to make photographs that “reflected pride, sophistication, and dignity.”
We were able to see a brand new addition to library stock, a beautiful book by Norwegian photographer Anne Helene Gjelstad called Big Heart, Strong Hands – photographs of the women of Kihnu and Manija Islands, Estonia.
Our next Story Cafe is on 13th February, when we’ll be exploring woodlands and the wonder of trees. We look forward to see you then!
