Beals at Work, is a postcard that depicts Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870–1942) in 1904. The postcard commemorates the exhibition Women's Work, on view July 21, 2023 - July 7, 2024
Beals photographed herself accompanied by the tools of her trade, indicating her professional status. Beals, who won her first camera in 1888 as a premium for selling magazine subscriptions, often included her own equipment in many self-portraits to claim her status as a professional photojournalist. As she wrote in 1904, all a woman needed to succeed in the field was "health and strength, a fair photographic outfit, and the ability to hustle, which is the most necessary qualification."
The Center for Women’s History new exhibition showcases approximately 45 objects from New-York Historical’s own Museum and Library collections to demonstrate how “women’s work” defies categorization. Curated by the Center for Women’s History curatorial staff and fellows.
