Ana Magalhães Rodrigues (1869-1937): a descoberta de uma fotógrafa portuguesa

Abstract

Gender studies are, in the historiography of art in Portugal, incipient and, as far as the History of Photography is concerned, still embrionary. However, several names of women who dedicated themselves to photography as amateurs are already known, many of them associated to their father, brothers or husband, following a similar tradition of female contribution to the artistic world, before the 19th century. Professional Portuguese photographer, self-designated the first, the name of Maria Reya Campos is known, operating in the south of Portugal. The circumstance of having identified, in 2019, a carte-de-visite with the label ANNA MAGALHÃES RODRIGUES, opened a new path for the study of the life and path of a woman-photographer working alone in the Portuguese countryside, in the early years of the 20th century. Based on written historical sources, photographs and a set of illustrated postcards, we developed some interpretations about her formation and trade.