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Louisa Bernie Gallaher

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Louisa Bernie Gallaher
Grainy black-and-white head shot of a woman looking towards the camera. The photo has a caption printed beneath, reading "Miss L. Bernie Gallaher"
Gallaher c. 1905
Born1858 (1858)
Washington, D. C., U.S.
Died (aged 59)
Washington, D. C., U.S.

Louisa Bernie Gallaher, also known as L. Bernie Gallaher, was an American scientific photographer for the Smithsonian United States National Museum (USNM). She was the Smithsonian's first woman photographer and worked at the institution for 39 years, from 1878 until her death in 1917.[1]

A woman with a serious expression stands in a high-collared, floor-length dress
A woman presumed to be Gallaher models a dress from the USNM collections.

Life and career

Gallaher was born in Washington, D.C. in 1858,[2][3] to mother Eliza A. Gallaher and father B. Frank Gallaher.[4][5] At the age of 20, Gallaher began her work at the Smithsonian as a clerk,[1] and later began teaching herself photography during her time in the museum's mammalian department.[6] By 1890, she was transferred to the institution's photographic department, where she became the chief assistant to Smithsonian's first photographer, Thomas Smillie, who took notice to her developing photography skills prior to the transfer.[1][6] She was tasked with the photography of people and museum displays, such as paintings, engravings, and sculptures.[7] Additionally, she specialized in photomicrography, and created X-ray reproductions.[2][8] Occasionally, Gallahar could be seen working outside, where she shot photographs of animals.[2]

As part of her work at the museum, she developed various photos, creating platinum prints and processing others' photographs that were sent to the museum. Furthermore, she created lantern slides, which were used in lectures across the United States and Europe.[2][8]

Gallaher continued to work in the museum's photographic department until her death on April 18, 1917 in Washington, D.C., at the age of 59.[1][9][4] Prior to her death, much of her work was falsely credited to her boss, Thomas Smillie. By 2019, Smithsonian archivists had begun correcting Gallaher's missing credits.[1][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Roby, Marguerite (March 28, 2019). "The Woman Behind the Camera". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Miss L. Bernie Gallaher". The Colfax Gazette. November 10, 1905. p. 3. Retrieved January 9, 2022 – via National Endowment for the Humanities.
  3. ^ Harmon, Elizabeth (October 24, 2019). "Smithsonian Women in Science in the Nineteenth Century". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Died: Gallaher". Evening Star. April 20, 1917. p. 7. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "1900 United States Federal Census". National Archives and Records Administration – via Ancestry.com.
  6. ^ a b "Woman Holds Unique Position In the Service of Uncle Sam". The San Francisco Call. September 18, 1905. p. 6. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  7. ^ "Woman Expert Photographer". Cloverdale Reveille. September 7, 1917. p. 2. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Women in Washington". The Tribune. March 27, 1894. p. 6. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "Deaths Reported". Evening Star. April 22, 1917. p. 5. Retrieved January 9, 2022 – via National Endowment for the Humanities.
  10. ^ Smithsonian Archives [@SmithsonianArch] (October 18, 2021). "Until recently, much of Louisa Bernie Gallaher's work was misattributed to chief photographer Thomas W. Smillie" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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