Too many women photographers have been nearly lost to history, while those working today encounter an industry rife with sexism. But photography is having its reckoning. Even though the spotlight is beginning to shine more brightly on women photographers, past and present, cementing that legacy into history takes a sustained effort.
At Paris Photo this month, curator Fannie Escoulen contributed to that effort. She conceived Elles x Paris Photo, a project that offered a different way to tour the art fair, by viewing work made exclusively by women—from pioneers such as
Dorothea Lange to young visionaries like Charlotte Abramow—in chronological order. Below, we share seven contemporary women photographers, some of whom Escoulen singled out, who exhibited at Paris Photo this year.
