Historical Heroines

Heroines of the past who were active at some point between the late 18th century and the mid-20th century.

From Alice to Yva, explore the archive of Historical Heroines and learn about the rich lives and careers of pioneering women photographers. As we continue our mission, our online archives will continue grow.

Researched, written and curated by our volunteers. If you would like to contribute to this valuable resource, sign up to volunteer today.

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Laura Gilpin

Laura Gilpin

Laura Gilpin spent her photography career documenting the Indigenous tribes of the United States, particularly the Navajo and Pueblo tribes....

Laure Albin-Guillot

Born Laure Meffredy in Paris, photographer Laure Albin-Guillot first opened a portrait studio at her home in Rue du Ranelagh in the 1920s....

Lillian Bassman

Lillian Bassman

Lillian Bassman’s (1917-2012) fashion photography appeared on the pages of Harper's Bazaar from the 1940's to the 1960's. Her self-taught, experimental and dreamlike approach brought an elegance to fashion photography and elevated it...

Lisa Larsen

Legendary photographer Lisa Larsen was one of LIFE’s pioneering female photojournalists. Born in Germany, she moved to the US as a teenager...

Liselotte Billigheimer Grschebina

Liselotte studied painting and graphic design at her local art academy – Badische Landeskunstschule, Karlsruhe (BLK) – and took up the then–new course in advertising photography at the School of Applied Arts in Stuttgart....

Lotte Jacobi

Coming from a long line of photographers, German-born Lotte Jacobi (1896-1990) was known for her intimate, dramatic and often experimental portraits in the ‘New Vision’ style of the late 1920s and 30s. After fleeing Hitler’s Germany,...