Pictorialism/ Gertrude Käsebier

Gertrude Kasebier is a fascinating photographer from the early 20th century. Her work is powerful and inspirational, focusing on motherhood and portraits of the Native Army she captured the strength and the experiences of these people in her work.Frances Benjamin Johnston a famous photography said Gertrude Kasebiers photos were
"At once the inspiration and despair of the growing army of pictorial photographers".
 
Looking through Kasbiers photographs i noticed she uses natural lighting in a lot of her work with relaxed poses to make the viewer feel comfortably when looking at her photographs. In some of her work she used brushwork to manipulate the background, working with a variety of printing techniques. She didn't however retouch the subject in her photography as she quotes she says they make people "look like peeled onions". I find her photography to tell a story of these working men and women, looking at their lives and how the world is almost a different place to this day.