Phaidon’s forthcoming Great Women Photographers sets out an expansive survey of image-making, gathering work that spans nearly 200 years and 68 countries. In the book’s introduction, Fiona Rogers writes, “If ‘greatness’ has long been defined by visibility and remembrance, then the continued documentation and celebration of women’s photographic practice is not only relevant but essential.” Slated for release on October 14, 2026, the title continues the publisher’s focus on art histories too often underrepresented.
As the fourth volume in Phaidon’s series dedicated to influential women in the arts, Great Women Photographers follows Great Women Artists, Great Women Painters, and Great Women Sculptors. The new book highlights more than 250 women in the field and is organized alphabetically by name. Each entry pairs recently commissioned texts by leading scholars with iconic images, presenting a cross-section of practices that, as the publisher notes, offers “a new lens on the world, inviting readers to discover, engage with, and be inspired by the work of some of the world’s greatest image-makers.”
Scope, structure, and selected works cited
The volume ranges across photojournalism, editorial portraiture, cameraless images, and conceptual landscapes. Captions accompanying the announcement reference a selection of works by contemporary and 20th-century artists, underscoring the breadth of materials and approaches represented:
- Atong Atem, “Our Neighbor Was a Witch,” 2022. Ilford smooth pearl print. Image courtesy of the artist and MARS Gallery.
- Alex Prager, “Eve,” 2008. Chromogenic print. Image courtesy of the artist, Alex Prager Studio, and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London.
- Carolle Bénitah, “Le Déguisement (The Disguise),” 2009. Archival pigment print with silk thread. Image © Carolle Bénitah, courtesy of Clémentine de la Féronnière Gallery & Sous Les Étoiles Gallery.
- Simryn Gill, from the series “A Small Town at the Turn of the Century,” 1999–2000. Chromogenic print. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Gohar Dashti, “Untitled #5 from the series Today’s Life and War,” 2008. Archival pigment print. Image courtesy of the artist, shared with permission.
- Pushpamala N., “The Native Types / Circus from the series Native Women of South India,” 2004. Color photograph. Image courtesy of the artist and Nature Morte Delhi, Art Gallery of New South Wales.
By assembling commissioned scholarship alongside a wide array of images, Great Women Photographers aims to foreground the diversity of subjects, techniques, and geographies that have shaped the medium. The release complements Phaidon’s growing bookshelf of titles amplifying women’s contributions across disciplines.
