The first photograph was taken by Louis Daguerre in France and William Henry Fox-Talbot in Britain in 1831. Photography was an exciting development at the time. Since the looks of families and individuals were preserved only by expensive paintings, photography was a cheaper and more accurate option. Many families were photographed, specifically children. The only problem this posed was the slow shutter speed on cameras at the time meant people had to stay very still for a significant amount of time in order for the picture to turn out. This resulted in “hidden mother” photography, a practice that began with mothers hiding behind plants and curtains and the such in order to hold their kids still until the photo was finished. 

In the Victorian era, photos of the deceased were commonplace and became more of a tradition than a pseudo-practice. This was done not only because it was a way to immortalize loved ones, but because corpses stayed so perfectly still, the pictures came out crisp.

Since photography was much newer at the time, and painting was taken more seriously as an art form, women were able to break free of their constricted activities and take up photography as a hobby. ‘Unlike the gun, the racquet and the oar, the camera offers a field where women can compete with men upon equal terms,’ wrote Clarence Moore. This led to an influx of women practicing photography. They were, in essence, the pioneers of the craft. Julia Margaret Cameron is maybe the most famous photographer of the time. Her unique style, vision, and willingness to embrace the flaws in photography (she was one of the few who didn’t edit her photos), led to photos still remembered to this day. She was so committed to the craft that she locked her daughter in a cellar in hopes to capture the human emotion of despair.

Women were the true innovators of photography. Their limited availability to activities in society – specifically activities where others would take them seriously – led to their expression through photography.

(Photo by Julia Margaret Cameron.)

Resources:

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-women-artists-victorian-england-pushed-photography-forward 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/pgqj3z/the-daguerreotype-unsettling-worl...

https://books.google.com/books?id=BxdKV_b3LkAC&pg=PA581&lpg=PA581&dq=Unl...