Josefina Oliver: A Hidden Photographer and Artist
Presentation Type
Event
Start Date
8-3-2026 6:34 PM
Description
Josefina Oliver was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 1, 1875. Her parents came from the middle class of Mallorca, Spain. In 1896 she approached photography with her social circle and continued by herself until 1921. The vivid colour she impressed on her copies brings her to the twenty-first century. In those sexist times she asked herself about the fact of being a woman, so she captured with her camera one hundred self-portraits, many of them in disguise, performing a lot of Josefinas. Women were not allowed to go outside without company, or to work, otherwise they could be considered public women, so Oliver couldn't take outdoor pictures alone. She used to make sets for her ideas and took photos in her house and farm. Her friends called her to photograph familiar events, such as birthdays and marriages. Although she was a passionate amateur, she behaved as a professional. In 1907 she married her cousin Pepe Salas Oliver; they had four children. He was a great companion that supported her as a photographer, and developed her first photographic plates in 1926. She lived and died unaware of the enormous corpus she had accomplished. It comprises her diary—twenty volumes, 8400 pages with photos and loose items—as well as 2700 photographs (1200 coloured); 200 postcards made with her own coloured photos attached to cardboards, and a volume of collages named by her Libro de Curiosidades (Curiosities' Book). As it happens to many creative women, her oeuvre appeared fifty years after her death.
Patricia Viaña is an independent researcher of Argentinian photography. Since 1994, she has preserved and promoted different archives. She has published books including Yo Josefina Oliver (2019), Devenir Fotógrafa - Julie Méndez Ezcurra (2022), and 1923. Inicio del Turismo de Cruceros a Ushuaia (2023). She created the Josefina Oliver Fund and has been active in presenting her research across Argentina, Spain, and Latin America. In October 2025, she donated the Josefina Oliver Fund to the Centro de Estudios Espigas at the Universidad Nacional de San Martin in Buenos Aires.
Relational Format
Conference proceeding
Recommended Citation
Viaña, Patricia, "Josefina Oliver: A Hidden Photographer and Artist" (2026). Women of Photography: A 24-Hour Conference-a-thon Celebrating International Women’s Day. 46.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/womenofphotography/2026/schedule/46
Josefina Oliver: A Hidden Photographer and Artist
Josefina Oliver was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 1, 1875. Her parents came from the middle class of Mallorca, Spain. In 1896 she approached photography with her social circle and continued by herself until 1921. The vivid colour she impressed on her copies brings her to the twenty-first century. In those sexist times she asked herself about the fact of being a woman, so she captured with her camera one hundred self-portraits, many of them in disguise, performing a lot of Josefinas. Women were not allowed to go outside without company, or to work, otherwise they could be considered public women, so Oliver couldn't take outdoor pictures alone. She used to make sets for her ideas and took photos in her house and farm. Her friends called her to photograph familiar events, such as birthdays and marriages. Although she was a passionate amateur, she behaved as a professional. In 1907 she married her cousin Pepe Salas Oliver; they had four children. He was a great companion that supported her as a photographer, and developed her first photographic plates in 1926. She lived and died unaware of the enormous corpus she had accomplished. It comprises her diary—twenty volumes, 8400 pages with photos and loose items—as well as 2700 photographs (1200 coloured); 200 postcards made with her own coloured photos attached to cardboards, and a volume of collages named by her Libro de Curiosidades (Curiosities' Book). As it happens to many creative women, her oeuvre appeared fifty years after her death.
Patricia Viaña is an independent researcher of Argentinian photography. Since 1994, she has preserved and promoted different archives. She has published books including Yo Josefina Oliver (2019), Devenir Fotógrafa - Julie Méndez Ezcurra (2022), and 1923. Inicio del Turismo de Cruceros a Ushuaia (2023). She created the Josefina Oliver Fund and has been active in presenting her research across Argentina, Spain, and Latin America. In October 2025, she donated the Josefina Oliver Fund to the Centro de Estudios Espigas at the Universidad Nacional de San Martin in Buenos Aires.