Uncover the Overlooked Work of Women Photographers in Photo Archives. The Case of the Travel Photo Albums of Isabel Roberts
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
8-3-2025 10:00 AM
Description
Dr. Marta Binazzi, Photo Archivist, I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, Florence, Italy/ Adjunct Professor, University of Florence, Italy
Uncover the Overlooked Work of Women Photographers in Photo Archives. The Case of the Travel Photo Albums of Isabel Roberts
Alongside photographic collections specifically created by and dedicated to women, archives hold many photographs and related materials produced by women who are largely unknown. These include photographs taken by assistants, wives, and others who often remain in the shadows. This presentation aims to reflect on the presence of such material in archives through the case of 31 photographic albums, recently donated to I Tatti, that Isabel Roberts compiled during her travels from 1946 to 1978. Isabel Roberts is primarily known as the wife of Laurance Roberts, who, from 1946 to 1960, was the director of the American Academy in Rome, a research institution focused on Fine Arts that attracted international intellectuals. In these albums, organized by year, Isabel narrates her life and travels through photographs she took herself, later compiling the albums and recording the names of the people and places she visited. The photographs are sometimes black and white, sometimes in color, occasionally smaller than 6 cm x 6 cm, and there might be as many as 10 images on the same page. These travel albums offer exceptional insight into the perspective of a woman who travelled to places like India, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan, during a time when these countries were not particularly accessible, and against the backdrop of the Cold War. Moreover, given her position, she encountered prominent artists and intellectuals who appear in her photographs. Therefore, these albums, as complex objects, provide a space for staging her public life by showcasing her networks and connections, while also functioning as a private souvenir of her travels. While the women who used photography to compile albums in the late 19th century are better known, it is less recognized that this predominantly female practice continued throughout the 20th century. Finally, these albums prompt reflection on the vast number of photographs taken by women who were neither professional photographers nor artists, and whose material remains on the margins of photographic archives, still waiting to be uncovered.
Dr. Marta Binazzi is a photo historian and photo archivist at I Tatti, the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. She is an adjunct professor in photo history at the Scuola di Specializzazione at the University of Florence, and she is a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. Prior to this, Marta earned a PhD at the Photographic History Research Center in Leicester, contributed as photo archivist to several inventory projects, with Regione Toscana, Fondazione Alinari per la Fotografia, and the Uffizi Gallery archive. She has also presented her work at international conferences and published her research. Additionally, she is a member of the Editorial Board of the Rivista di Studi di Fotografia.
Relational Format
Conference proceeding
Recommended Citation
Binazzi, Marta, "Uncover the Overlooked Work of Women Photographers in Photo Archives. The Case of the Travel Photo Albums of Isabel Roberts" (2025). Women of Photography: A 24-Hour Conference-a-thon Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025. 29.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/womenofphotography/2025/schedule/29
Uncover the Overlooked Work of Women Photographers in Photo Archives. The Case of the Travel Photo Albums of Isabel Roberts
Dr. Marta Binazzi, Photo Archivist, I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, Florence, Italy/ Adjunct Professor, University of Florence, Italy
Uncover the Overlooked Work of Women Photographers in Photo Archives. The Case of the Travel Photo Albums of Isabel Roberts
Alongside photographic collections specifically created by and dedicated to women, archives hold many photographs and related materials produced by women who are largely unknown. These include photographs taken by assistants, wives, and others who often remain in the shadows. This presentation aims to reflect on the presence of such material in archives through the case of 31 photographic albums, recently donated to I Tatti, that Isabel Roberts compiled during her travels from 1946 to 1978. Isabel Roberts is primarily known as the wife of Laurance Roberts, who, from 1946 to 1960, was the director of the American Academy in Rome, a research institution focused on Fine Arts that attracted international intellectuals. In these albums, organized by year, Isabel narrates her life and travels through photographs she took herself, later compiling the albums and recording the names of the people and places she visited. The photographs are sometimes black and white, sometimes in color, occasionally smaller than 6 cm x 6 cm, and there might be as many as 10 images on the same page. These travel albums offer exceptional insight into the perspective of a woman who travelled to places like India, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan, during a time when these countries were not particularly accessible, and against the backdrop of the Cold War. Moreover, given her position, she encountered prominent artists and intellectuals who appear in her photographs. Therefore, these albums, as complex objects, provide a space for staging her public life by showcasing her networks and connections, while also functioning as a private souvenir of her travels. While the women who used photography to compile albums in the late 19th century are better known, it is less recognized that this predominantly female practice continued throughout the 20th century. Finally, these albums prompt reflection on the vast number of photographs taken by women who were neither professional photographers nor artists, and whose material remains on the margins of photographic archives, still waiting to be uncovered.
Dr. Marta Binazzi is a photo historian and photo archivist at I Tatti, the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. She is an adjunct professor in photo history at the Scuola di Specializzazione at the University of Florence, and she is a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. Prior to this, Marta earned a PhD at the Photographic History Research Center in Leicester, contributed as photo archivist to several inventory projects, with Regione Toscana, Fondazione Alinari per la Fotografia, and the Uffizi Gallery archive. She has also presented her work at international conferences and published her research. Additionally, she is a member of the Editorial Board of the Rivista di Studi di Fotografia.
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