By Sujata Choudhury
8th March,every year we celebrate “The international Women’s Day”.This day we cheer on our achievers in all fields , the economic,Political, social and cultural in every walks of life. This day we try to highlight the struggle and achievements of woman . Globally,these strong and powerful women have taught us that even sky has no limit.
Earlier, Studio photography was by and large, a men’s World . Men were the owners, Photographic technicians handling the client activities. Photography allows people the ability to immortalize moments in time. However, before smart phone gadgets came in to our life Photography was not an every day activity.
The participation of women in photography goes back to early days.
Interestingly British Botanist Anna Atkins, daughter of the Zoologist photographer Jhon George was found to click some simple and minute objects .
Many British women visually recorded during World war I, what they recognized as momentous periods in their lives.
Olive Edis was the first woman to be officially appointed to document the great War.
Christina Broom,Who photographed in the early 1900 and called herself “Press Photographer.”
In India, Late Deen Dayal had the fore sight to setup a “Zenana”..section in his studio at Secunderabad ( the Nizam’s capital ). At that time when Indian women were just entering middle class professions as teacher, nurses,doctors , So handling of the Camera was largely a leisure activity. It was un common for women to accept employment out side their home .
At the beginning of the nineteenth century there was orthodox Indian Society , women were restricted from formal education. They were confined within the four walls of the house. They were trained in the conventionally feminine skills of cooking, knitting and other household activities.
The first Indian Woman who mastered the art of Photography was Maharani Monmohini wife of Tripura’s Maharaja, Birchandra Manikya.
Jnanada nandini (জ্ঞানদা নন্দিনী) Debi ,wife of Late Satyendranath Tagore ( Rabindranath Tagore ‘s elder brother ) was very passionate about photography.
Soon enough, women who could afford it and had the opportunity learnt photography and became proud owner of early day cameras. Jnanda nandini debi had learnt photography at the well-known “Bourne and Shepherd Studio ” Calcutta.
Mrs E.Mayer , one of the female members of the Photographic Society of Bengal, holds the honour of being the first Professional Photographer of India.
Siddhartha Ghosh wrote an article in the Bengali newspaper “Amrita Bazar patrika” about first Bengali photographer “Sarojini Ghosh “. She opened her own studio called ” The Mahila Art Studio ” and her Photographic store at 32,CornwallishStreet ,Calcutta.
Siddhartha Ghosh wrote in “Chhobi Tola” “She deserved the encouragement and patroange at the hands of her Country men.”
In 1920, Bengali ‘s had also started Photographing seriously. None of them was a professional,that role was first taken on by Annapurna Dutta. She was running a business from her home in Calcutta and supporting her family with earnings from Photography.
Annapurna did not have a professional Studio with a name and address and ran a one person show where she single handedly managed every thing…….taking photos , Processing negatives and lending finishing touches to the Prints.
Annapurna was born in 1894. Her father was a professor of Philosophy and a writer. When She was 12, Annapurna was married to Upendranath Dutta a Lawyer.
Her husband was keen on photography and was a painter. It is surely from him that Annapurna became interested in photography.
She began working as a professional Photographer between 1930 to 1940…though her appearance may have been representative of a house wife but with a massive machine became an iconic image of the independent woman of those days.
Annapurna Dutta died in 1976 at the age of 82 years.
-Courtesy Google Wikipedia
The Afternoon Tea 
Interesting!!!! Loved your article.
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