Gertrude Käsebier, American, 1852-1934 One of the most well-known pictorial photographers of the early 20th century, Gertrude Käsebier was born in Fort Des Moines (now Des Moines), Iowa. In 1889, she entered the Pratt Institute in New York to study portrait painting. Photography, however, which she took up on her own, became her primary artistic focus. After working with a professional Brooklyn photographer to gain business experience, Käsebier opened her own portrait studio in New York City in late 1897 or early 1898. It was a great success, and she was soon busy producing commercial portraits in addition to her personal work. Her pictorial images, mostly portraits and figure studies, were exhibited widely in the United States and Europe during the early 20th century and were reproduced in both Camera Notes and Camera Work. She was a founding member of the Photo-Secession in 1902 and one of the first two women elected to membership in the Linked Ring (1900). In 1912, Käsebier resigned from the Photo-Secession, breaking her long association with Alfred Stieglitz after several disagreements. Four years later, she became associated with Clarence H. White's Pictorial Photographers of America. Retiring in the 1920s, Käsebier continued to serve as a source of inspiration for younger photographers such as Laura Gilpin, Consuelo Kanaga, and Clara Sipprell. M.M. Source: Cleveland Museum

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