Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham was born in Portland, Oregon in 1883.  He grew up there and eventually went to the University of Washington in Seattle as a chemistry major.  After graduation Imogen worked in the Seattle portrait studio of Edward S. Curtis, the photographer who made the volumes of “The North American Indian.”  While there, she learned how to platinum print which ultimately led to her winning of a grant to study photographic chemistry in Dresden, Germany.  Then, in 1914, her first one-person exhibition was held at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences!  From that point on Cunningham's life really took off.  She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, and was even elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences.  But a long story short, Imogen Cunningham was a fantastic photographer who could truly capture light, and mastered close up images.  Her work will be greatly appreciated for years to come.