Louisa Bernie Gallaher
Louisa Bernie Gallaher | |
|---|---|
 Gallaher c. 1905 | |
| Born | 1858 Washington, D. C. |
| Died | (aged 59) Washington, D. C. |
Louisa Bernie Gallaher, also known as L. Bernie Gallaher, was a 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]
Life and career
Gallaher was born in Washington, D.C. in 1858.[2][3] Her mother was Eliza A. Gallaher and her father was B. Frank Gallaher.[4][5] When she was 20 years old, Gallaher started working at the Smithsonian as a clerk.[1] She later began teaching herself photography while she was a part of the museum's mammalian department.[6] In 1890, she was transferred to the institution's photographic department. She became the chief assistant to Smithsonian's first photographer, Thomas Smillie, who first noticed her photography skills before she was transferred to the department.[1][6]
At the Smithsonian, Gallaher sometimes worked outdoors while taking photographs of animals.[2] She also took photographs of people and museum items, including paintings, engravings, and other inanimate objects.[7] She specialized in photomicrography, or taking photos with microscopes, and also made X-ray reproductions.[2][8]
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. She also 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. She died on April 18, 1917 in Washington, D.C., at the age of 59.[1][9][4] Before her death, much of her work was incorrectly credited to Thomas Smillie. By 2019, Smithsonian archivists had begun correcting Gallaher's missing credits.[1][10]
References
- ^ a b c d e Roby, Marguerite (March 28, 2019). "The Woman Behind the Camera". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Harmon, Elizabeth (October 24, 2019). "Smithsonian Women in Science in the Nineteenth Century". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "Died: Gallaher". Evening Star. April 20, 1917. p. 7. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ "1900 United States Federal Census". National Archives and Records Administration – via Ancestry.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Woman Expert Photographer". Cloverdale Reveille. September 7, 1917. p. 2. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "Women in Washington". The Tribune. March 27, 1894. p. 6. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ "Deaths Reported". Evening star. April 22, 1917. p. 5. Retrieved January 9, 2022 – via National Endowment for the Humanities.
- ^ 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.