Madam Photog

Sometimes when I give presentations based on my book, I discover more firsts. During a recent webinar, for example, an attendee made a comment about Jessie Tarbox Beals. Her name was not familiar to me, so I investigated after the webinar.

Jessie Tarbox Beals had already established her reputation as a photojournalist before opening a studio in New York City in 1905. The 29-year-old Canadian-born photographer’s name appeared in the Windham County Reformer in 1900 with her pictures of a local Vermont fair. This credit in print made Beals the first known published female photojournalist.

In 1903, Beals covered a murder trial for two Buffalo newpapers. Cameras were banned from the courtroom, but that didn’t deter her. She climbed on top of a bookcase to shoot pictures through an open transom.

That determination and agility—despite wearing a long skirt and carrying a heavy camera—proved useful the next year when covering the St. Louis World’s Fair. Beals took shots from every angle imaginable, even climbing ladders and riding in a hot-air balloon for a bird’s-eye view. Her pictures were so good that she became the official fair photographer for several newspapers, including the New York Herald.

Jessie Tarbox Beals in front of the Austrian pavillion at the St. Louis World’s Fair

Now that her skill was being recognized, Beals decided to open a photography studio in New York City. She worked freelance and shot a wide variety of subjects; later she regretted that she hadn’t specialized. She was probably the first woman to use flash powder to take photos at night, a difficult and potentially dangerous technique honed by another New York photojournalist, Jacob Riis (read about him in New York City Firsts). Her acclaim grew, and in 1920 she opened a larger New York studio.

The Depression years took their toll. After a brief stint in California, Beals returned to New York City. Now in her sixties, she lacked the stamina for the more daring pursuits of her younger years, but she continued to photograph tamer scenes, like gardens. She died in May 1942 at age 71.