Gerhard Sisters (deutsch: Gerhard-Schwestern) war ein bekanntes Fotoatelier in St. Louis, Missouri. Es bestand von 1903 bis etwa 1918[1] und gehörte den Schwestern Emme (oder Emma; *1872-†1946) und Mayme (oder Mamie; *1876-†1955) Gerhard. Sie waren in St. Louis die ersten Frauen, die eine Fotostudio besaßen und betrieben. Bekannt geworden sind vor allem ihre ethnographischen Portraitfotos von der Weltausstellung 1904 in St. Louis (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), zu deren Programm auch eine so genannte Völkerschau gehörte.
Im weiteren Sinne gehörte auch Adelaide Gerhard zu den Gerhard-Sisters.
Lebensweg
BearbeitenDie drei Gerhard-Schwestern wurden als Töchter von Peter und Louisa Gerhards geboren. Peter und Louisa waren als Kinder mit ihren jeweiligen Eltern aus Köln in die USA ausgewandert. Die drei Gerhard-Schwestern wurden in Mascoutah, Illinois, bzw. in St. Louis, Missouri, geboren. Das 's' am Ende des elterlichen Familiennamens wurde später weggelassen, aus Gerhards wurde Gerhard.
Ab 1893 erlernten die Gerhard-Schwestern die technischen und künstlerischen Grundlagen der Fotografie bei dem Fotografen Fitz W. Guerin (*1846-†1903) in St. Louis.[2]
Die Gerhard-Schwestern lernten und arbeiteten zunächst drei Jahre lang als Foto-Retuscheurinnen bei dem Fotografen Fitz W. Guerin (*1846-†1903) in St. Louis. In Guerins Studio wurden vor allem Portraitfotos, Genre-Bilder und weibliche Akte aufgenommen. Die Gerhard-Schwestern übernahmen Guerins Atelier, als dieser es im Januar 1903 aufgeben musste und bald darauf verstarb, und führten es unter ihrem eigenem Namen fort.
Das naturkundliche Field-Museum in Chicago erteilte den Gerhard-Schwestern und einigen anderen Fotografen den Auftrag, bei der Völkerschau auf der Weltausstellung in St. Louis Menschen verschiedener Völker und Kontinente zu fotografieren. Die Gerhard-Schwestern waren nicht die einzigen weiblichen Fotografen dort; auch die Pressefotografin Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870–1942) nahm in der Völkerschau in St. Louis von 1904 rund 150 Fotos von Angehörigen indigener Völker auf.
Rohstoffe, Zettelkasten
BearbeitenGerhard Sisters nicht die einzigen - vgl.: Jessie Tarbox Beals
BearbeitenVERGLEICHE:
• Jessie Tarbox Beals (* 23. Dezember 1870; † 30. Mai 1942) :
»1904 wurde Beals zur Eröffnung der Louisiana Purchase Exposition nach St. Louis geschickt. [...] Ihr besonderes Interesse galt den Vertretern indigener Völker. Es entstanden 150 Bilder, die sich durch ihre spontane und ungestellte Lebendigkeit deutlich von der damals üblichen Sicht auf Angehörige „primitiver“ Völkerschaften unterschieden.[4][10] Ihr fotografischer Stil wich von dem anderer Berichterstatter ab. [...] Im Rahmen ihrer Arbeit entstanden von der Ausstellung 3.500 Bilder mit 45.000 Abzügen.[4][9]« https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Tarbox_Beals#Fr%C3%BChes_Leben
Wikipedia
BearbeitenGerhard Sisters – Die Gerhard-Schwestern
Emme Gerhard (1872-1946) and Mayme Gerhard (1876-1955), the Gerhard Sisters, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Sisters
Dritte Schwester: Adelaide Gerhard; verheiratet mit Julius Schilling
Emme Gerhard; from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emme_Gerhard
Die Gerhard-Sisters sind NICHT in John Hannavy (ed.) Encyclopaedia of 19th Century Photography erwähnt!
Missouri History Museum: "The Sisters Who Captured the World's Fair on Film"
BearbeitenThe Sisters Who Captured the World’s Fair on Film
by Katie Moon | Exhibits Manager, April 12, 2013
During the 1904 World’s Fair, two sisters—Emme and Mayme Gerhard—cemented their place in photographic history. St. Louis natives, the Gerhard sisters learned their craft as young women, apprenticing with Fitz Guerin, a popular local photographer. When Guerin retired in 1903, the sisters took over his studio, just in time for the World’s Fair. However, both Emme and Mayme were already quite well known and respected for their work in the St. Louis area, which is why they were chosen by a representative from the Field Museum in Chicago to be part of the museum’s photography team during the Fair. The sisters’ portraits of the more “exotic” people at the Fair—a result of the Field Museum’s goal to create an ethnographic record—gave them a worldwide audience. They were among the first photographers (female or otherwise) to capture images of people from all over the world, despite the fact that all of the photos were taken in St. Louis.
After the Fair, the Gerhard sisters continued to work in their studio, earning more renown because of their unique use of natural light and informal poses to capture the personalities of their subjects. They were acutely aware, however, that professional recognition of their work was often limited because of their gender. In order to be considered for the top awards in photography, they often submitted work identified only by numbers instead of their names. At the same time, they used their skill in photography to publicize the growing suffrage movement, not only through the images they captured, but through the lives they led as well. At a time when few women worked in professional fields, especially married women with children, they lived as early feminists—effectively balancing work and family life and producing some amazing images, many of which are part of the Missouri Historical Society Collections.
Katie Moon (Exhibits Manager), „The Sisters Who Captured the World’s Fair on Film,“ Missouri History Museum, „History happens here“, "The Sisters Who Captured the World's Fair on Film", 12. April 2013, http://www.historyhappenshere.org/archives/7380
mohistory.org: Gerhard Sisters Collection (P0257)
BearbeitenIdentifier: P0257
Title: Gerhard Sisters Collection
Description: The Gerhard Sisters were the first women photographers to own and operate a studio in St. Louis. Emme, Mamie, and Adelaide Gerhard were born in Mascoutah, Illinois and St. Louis to German immigrants Peter and Louisa Gerhards (the family later dropped the 's' and changed the name to Gerhard). The sisters began studying photography in 1893 under F.W. Guerin, a famous St. Louis photographer. In 1902 or 1903, the sisters bought Guerin's studio when he retired to California and went into business. They made a name for themselves doing what they called 'Character Pictures.' They photographed their subjects in a specially built studio that utilized natural light and had a homey setting in order to put people at their ease, allowing their natural qualities and characteristics to shine through. The also tried to incorporate Pictorialist fine art photography techniques including blurred backgrounds and meditative poses into their work. They had several successful exhibits in art photography competitions and shows. What the Gerhard Sisters are most famous for is their Aboriginal Portfolio. During the 1904 World's Fair, the director of the Field Museum commissioned the Gerhard's to photograph the various individuals in the ethnographic displays at the Fair. They were given special permission by the fair organizers to photograph the participants in their studios rather than on the fair site. The resulting portraits were a blend of Character Portraits and a more traditional aboriginal documentary style. The Gerhard Sisters operated two studios for most of their partnership. One studio at 1114 Salisbury Street in north St. Louis was operated by Adelaide and her husband Julius Schilling, and the specially built studio at 3622 Olive Street was run (more famously) by Emme and Mamie. In 1926, Emme and Mamie closed the Olive Street Studio and went their separate ways. All three sisters operated separate studios until the 1930s. Emme retired in 1936 and left St. Louis, Mamie operated her studio until her death in 1956, and Adelaide operated her studio into the 1940s. These photograph albums were compiled by the Gerhard Sisters and show people involved with support efforts for World War I. One album contains portraits of Four Minute Men, a group of volunteers who were part of the Committee on Public Information's method of soliciting support for the war. The Four Minute Men volunteers gave brief speeches wherever they could get an audience in places like movie theaters, churches, and grange halls. The Gerhard Sisters Collection contains mounted photographs from the 1904 World's Fair and five topic-specific portrait photograph albums compiled by the sisters. A set of about 84 large mounted prints show "Aborigines", different ethnic groups represented at 1904 World's Fair. Subjects include: LPE; children; Native Americans; Africans; Japanese; Chinese; Philippinos; Eskimo; Bedouins; Ainus; Igorrotes; Igorots; Bogobos; (more). The album titled "Officers Missouri Home Guards, Portraits by Gerhard Sisters" contains about 68 portraits of officers from World War I with a typed name index inside the front cover. Subjects include: Williard Bartlett; Samuel Goddard; John Hurley; Frank W. Blinn; Cyril Saunders; Roy A. Campbell; Thomas E. Hill; Charles E. Musick; Charles P. Bland; Edward Simmons Lewis; (more). The album titled "American Red Cross, Portraits by Gerhard Sisters" contains about 350 portraits with a typed index in the front cover. Subjects include: George W. Simmons; Alfred Fairbank; John H. Holliday; women in nursing uniforms; women in military-style Red Cross uniforms; Sidney Brown; Clara A. Brown; Edna Prosser; Sophie Heckinger; Cora A. Bates; Gertrude Gavin; Harry F. Knight; Henry W. Kiel; Alfred Shapleigh; Philo Stevenson; Lillie R. Ernst; Jessie Langsdorf; Paul A. Schlafly; (more). The album titled "St. Louis Division of the Four Minute Men of Missouri - Knights of Columbus War Service Board, Portraits by
Item: Photographs
Rights:
Place:
Dates: 1899 to 1909
Type(s):
Maker/Creator: Gerhard Sisters
Subjects:
Permalink: http://collections.mohistory.org/resource/140288
Quelle: Missouri Historical Society, „Gerhard Sisters Collection, Identifier: P0257“, https://mohistory.org/collections/item/P0257http://collections.mohistory.org/resource/140288.html
Engl. Wikipedia-Eintrag »Gerhard Sisters«: DeepL-Rohübersetzung
BearbeitenDeepL-Rohübersetzung des englischen Wikipedia-Eintrags »Gerhard Sisters«:
Emme Gerhard (1872-1946) und Mayme Gerhard (1876-1955), die Gerhard-Schwestern, gehörten zu den ersten Fotografinnen, die 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri, ein Studio gründeten. Zu dieser Zeit stellten Zeitungen und Zeitschriften selten Frauen als Fotografinnen ein, um spät eintreffende Eilmeldungen aufzunehmen[1].
Frühes Leben
Die Eltern der Gerhards kamen Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts als Kinder aus Köln, Deutschland, in die Vereinigten Staaten. Sie ließen sich in Mascoutah, Illinois, nieder und waren 1869 nach St. Louis, Missouri, gezogen. Ihr Vater arbeitete nacheinander als Teamster [Gespannführer, Kutscher, Fuhrmann, Wagenlenker], Metzger und Ladenbesitzer in der großen deutsch-amerikanischen Gemeinschaft, zu der eine große Anzahl von Fotografen, Retuschierern und Graveuren gehörte[1].
Karriere
Die Gerhards begannen ihre fotografische Laufbahn als junge Frauen. Sie studierten drei Jahre lang bei Fitz W. Guerin, dem bekanntesten Porträtisten aus St. Louis und Fotografen inszenierter Szenen. Als Guerin im Januar 1903 in den Ruhestand ging, erwarben die Gerhards sein Studio und seine Negative. Ihr Timing war perfekt. Fünf Jahre Renovierungsarbeiten in der Stadt zwischen 1899 und der Weltausstellung 1904 versetzten die Gerhard-Schwestern in das Herz eines neuen St. Louis auf dem Höhepunkt der progressiven politischen Ära.[1] Sie entwickelten neue und originelle Ideen und Methoden, die, auf die Porträtfotografie angewandt, dieser einen Wert und eine Schönheit in der Ausführung ergaben, die den gemalten Porträts gleichwertig waren.[2]
Sie hatten ein Zweigatelier in North St. Louis, aber ihr Hauptatelier in der Olive Street in der Nähe der Grand Avenue wurde unter ihrer Aufsicht und nach ihren Vorgaben gebaut. Es gab sieben oder acht Räume, und das erste, was auffiel, war das Fehlen fotografischer Eigenschaften; die Räume hatten sehr große, vielfach verglaste Fenster, breite Fensterplätze, Kamine, gemütliche Ecken usw. Sie waren in weichen, warmen Tönen dekoriert, die die ganze Atmosphäre einladend und erholsam machten. Das konventionelle Licht, in einem Winkel von fünfundvierzig Grad, wie es von den Fotografen gelehrt wurde, wurde ignoriert, und nur das natürliche Licht des täglichen Lebens floss in ihre Kompositionen ein. In einer solchen Atmosphäre entspannte sich der Dargestellte unbewusst und verlor das Gefühl des Posierens, das mit dem Fotografieren verbunden war. Dies war der Zustand, den die Gerhards als wesentlich für die Aufnahme ihrer "Charakterbilder"[2] ansahen.
Nachdem er die von den alten Meistern gemalten Porträts studiert hatte, stellte Gerhard die Frage: "Welche Qualitäten haben diese Maler in ihr Werk gelegt, die sie auch nach Jahrhunderten noch 'lebendig' machen? Es muss die Seele, das wahre Selbst des Porträtierten sein, das sich der Kamera so oft entzieht", und sie widmeten sich der Entwicklung dieser Eigenschaft in ihren Porträts. Sie bemühte sich, ihre Porträtierten dazu zu bringen, die alte "aufrecht hinsetzen und freundliche Gucken"-Haltung zu vergessen, die fast unmöglich war, wenn der Kopf von einem eisernen Haken gestützt wurde, den man keine Sekunde lang vergessen konnte. Ihre Bilder wurden nie retuschiert, streunende Haare oder Schönheitsfehler blieben so, wie die gnadenlose Kamera sie zeigte. Das Ziel der Gerhard-Bilder war die Quintessenz der Natürlichkeit. Wie zu Hause vor dem Kamin wurden Gruppen gebildet, die sich in gemütlichen Ecken unterhielten, Spiele spielten, sangen und tanzten; und zwar in all den Vergnügungen und Beschäftigungen, die das tägliche Leben ausmachen. Das elektrische Licht, das für Aufnahmen in den Häusern verwendet wurde, machte es möglich, jeden Teil eines Hauses zu reproduzieren; es war das erste, das westlich von New York verwendet wurde. Die Ähnlichkeit mit Ölgemälden war verblüffend, vor allem, wenn es gelang, den "Charakter" aus einem Motiv herauszulösen, wenn man sie in ihrer Farb- oder Tönungstechnik fotografierte[2].
Viele Porträts entstanden während der Louisiana Purchase Exposition 1904, als Stämme aus allen Teilen der Welt vertreten waren. Der Direktor des Feldmuseums für Naturgeschichte sah die Gelegenheit, eine wertvolle ethnologische Sammlung zu erwerben, wenn er einen Fotografen bekommen könnte, und so wandte er sich an Charles Carpenter, den Fotografen des Museums, Frances Benjamin Johnston und die Gerhard-Schwestern. Sie erklärten sich bereit, alle Indianer und andere ethnische Gruppen, die er mitbringen konnte, zu fotografieren, und ihre Sammlung ist selten.[2] Eines dieser Porträts ist das von Geronimo, das ein zufälliges "Porträt" des Fotografen bei der Arbeit enthält. Es spiegelt sich in Geronimos Auge wider und wurde 2009 entdeckt, als der Fotokonservator der Bibliothek bemerkte, dass jemand auf sie zurückblickte, während sie arbeitete. Das "Porträt" zeigt eine Frau, die eine weiße Hemdbluse mit einem dunklen Rock trägt, die Uniform der Neuen Frau der 1890er und frühen 1900er Jahre.[1]
Die Gerhardsschwestern nahmen an jedem Kongress im Interesse der Fotografie teil, und ihre Arbeit erregte viel Aufmerksamkeit. Sie erklärten ihre Methoden und waren immer auf der Suche nach neuen Ideen, um mit allen späten Entwicklungen Schritt zu halten. Viele Medaillen und ehrenvolle Erwähnungen wurden ihnen verliehen. Das Photo-Era Magazine, ein amerikanisches Fotomagazin, brachte auf der Titelseite der September-Ausgabe 1913 eines der Bilder, die sie auf dem Kongress in Kansas City vom selben Jahrgang zeigten.
Das Photo-Era Magazine, eine amerikanische Zeitschrift für Fotografie, brachte auf der Titelseite der September-Ausgabe von 1913 eines der Bilder an, die sie auf dem Kongress in Kansas City im selben Jahr zeigten und die als eine der besten auf diesem Kongress gezeigt wurden. Es stellte ein junges Mädchen dar, das eine Vase mit Blumen hält, wobei die Schönheit des Ausdrucks von der Kamera auf charmante und fröhliche Weise eingefangen wurde[2].
Die Gerhards nahmen mindestens schon 1905 an Fototagungen in Boston teil, und Fotozeitschriften berichten über ihre Teilnahme an Tagungen in Großstädten in den Vereinigten Staaten bis 1920. Mayme Gerhard diente häufig als Offizier in den Organisationen, während Emme Gerhard die meisten Reden, Demonstrationen und Fotos für Ausstellungen lieferte. Ihr Vortrag von 1916, "Portrait-Beleuchtung mit Quecksilberdampflampen", wurde als Artikel unter ihren beiden Namen von der Cooper Hewitt Electric Company, Hoboken, N.J.[1] veröffentlicht.
Die Gerhards bekleideten ihr Amt und gewannen Preise in der Missouri Photographers' Association und der Missouri Valley Association, waren aber am stärksten in der Women's Federation der Photographers' Association of America engagiert. Der Frauenverband, der 1910 als Ressource für die wachsende Zahl von Frauen organisiert wurde, die in die Fotografiebranche eintraten, bestand nur neun Jahre lang, spielte aber eine wichtige Rolle bei der Ausbildung und Förderung der Werke von Fotografinnen. Sie veranstaltete Ausstellungen von Frauenfotografien bei Jahrestagungen und organisierte Vorträge, Demonstrationen und Ausstellungen im ganzen Land in von Frauen geleiteten Studios. Als die Women's Federation mit der Photographer's Association fusionierte, war Mayme Gerhard die erste Frau, die ein nationales Amt bekleidete, und 1913 wurde sie auch Mitglied der britischen Royal Photographic Society[1].
Die Gerhardsschwestern schlossen sich dem Drängen an, die Fotografie als künstlerischen Ausdruck und nicht als mechanische Reproduktion zu betrachten, wie ihr Brief an den Herausgeber des Bulletin of Photography von 1916 zeigt. Sie zitierten, dass ihr örtliches Museum indische Keramik, Spitzen und Mumien ausstellte, dass das Metropolitan Museum in New York Schnupftabakdosen ausstellte und das Kunstmuseum in Pittsburgh mehrere Räume mit Amateurkunst zeigte, während das Museum in St. Louis sich seit 1914 weigerte, ihre Fotografien auszustellen, weil es sie als Mechaniker definierte. Sie flehten die Photographer's Association of America an, sich ihrer Sache anzunehmen.[1]
Die Schwestern stellten 1917 fest, dass ihr Beruf noch immer von Männern dominiert wird, als Emme Gerhard einem Reporter sagte: "Wir wissen, dass wir als Frauen erwarten müssen, dass wir unsere Arbeit ebenso gut und dann etwas besser als Männer erledigen, wenn wir anerkannt und akzeptiert werden und gleichberechtigt mit den Männern konkurrieren würden". Sie räumte die geschlechtsspezifische Diskriminierung bei Fotowettbewerben ein und fuhr fort: "Unsere ersten Preise wurden erst gewonnen, als unsere Beiträge ohne andere Identifikationsmerkmale als Zahlen eingingen"[1].
Fotoclubs verweigerten Frauen die Mitgliedschaft, ebenso wie Werbeorganisationen. Im Juni 1917, als die Associated Advertising Clubs of the World ihren dreizehnten Jahreskongress in St. Louis abhielten, durften Frauen teilnehmen, obwohl der Ortsverband Frauen von der Mitgliedschaft ausschloss. Mayme Gerhard war eine von drei einheimischen Frauen, "die vom Nationalen Programmkomitee geehrt wurde, indem sie auf das Programm der Frauenkonferenz gesetzt wurde"[1].
Die Gerhards bekleideten Führungsrollen in professionellen Organisationen und wurden Stipendiaten der Royal Photographic Society in England. Dank ihrer Bilder und ihres Geschäftssinnes konnten sie wirtschaftliche Unabhängigkeit erlangen und sogar zum Vergnügen reisen. Sie arbeiteten bis 1936 zusammen und erforschten danach weiterhin ihre eigenen fotografischen Spezialgebiete. Sie sind bemerkenswerte Beispiele von Frauen, die ihre Verantwortung zu Hause mit ihrer Teilnahme am öffentlichen Leben verbanden[1].
Um 1899 heiratete Emme Gerhard den Schreibwaren-Stecher Albert W. Rhein. Sie lebten in St. Louis bei den Eltern von Emme Gerhard und Alberts Bruder Russell G. Rhein, ebenfalls Fotograf. Emme Gerhard arbeitete als Helfer des Fotografen. Am 12. Oktober 1906 bekamen die Rheins einen Sohn, Gerhard, während sie in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, lebten. In der Volkszählung von 1920 wurde Emme Gerhard als Witwe aufgeführt, die mit ihrem Sohn im Haus ihrer Schwester Mayme Gerhard lebte. Emme's Ehemann wurde jedoch als geschieden aufgeführt und lebte in einem Haushalt in St. Louis, zu dem auch seine Schwester Alice, eine Fotoretuscheurin, gehörte[1].
Mayme Gerhard, verheiratet mit Thomas Goodale Hawley, einem Zahnarzt, der früher selbst Fotograf war. Das Paar lebte 1824 in der Lami Street in St. Louis, manchmal mit einigen von Maymes Geschwistern. Die erweiterte Gerhard-Familie arbeitete als Fotografen, wobei die Gerhard-Schwestern ihre Schwestern und ihren Bruder gelegentlich im Fotostudio beschäftigten. Die Schwestern waren wirtschaftlich unabhängig, zogen Kinder auf, die sich selbst versorgen konnten, und hatten die Mittel, bis nach England und Hawaii zu reisen[1].
Die Gerhards verloren viele ihrer wertvollen Bilder bei einem Brand in ihrem Atelier im Februar 1905, bei dem mehr als 300 ihrer Glasplattennegative der Weltausstellung zerstört wurden. Mayme Gerhard schätzte sie damals auf 10.000 Dollar (entspricht 260.000 Dollar im Jahr 2017)[3].[1]
Die Gerhard-Schwestern unterhielten Ateliers an verschiedenen Orten in St. Louis, bis Emme Gerhard im Juli 1936 abreiste, um einen Monat lang "die Kunst der Primitiven" in einer Künstlerkolonie in der Nähe von Mexiko-Stadt zu studieren, bevor sie nach New York übersiedelte, wo sie mit ihrem Sohn Gerhard R. Gerhard, einem Anwalt in Port Washington, New York, lebte. Sie stellte regelmäßig im Internationalen Salon der Fotografie in den Vereinigten Staaten, Kanada und Westeuropa aus, und ihre Fotografien wurden in der Regel mit Preisen ausgezeichnet. Im Jahr 1938 wurde sie zum Fellow der Royal Photographic Society of England ernannt. Emme Gerhard starb 1946[1].
Mayme Gerhard betrieb das Studio zusammen mit ihrer Tochter Vera Hawley Smith bis 1941, nachdem ihr Mann 1935 starb und Emme Gerhard St. Louis verließ. Als Mayme Gerhard Hawley starb sie am 16. Oktober 1955 in St. Louis.
Die Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division erwarb ihre Gerhard-Bestände über Urheberrechtsdepots und verfügt über mehr als 100 Fotos, die zwischen 1904 und den frühen 1920er Jahren entstanden sind, hauptsächlich ihre Arbeit mit ethnischen Porträts auf der Weltausstellung in St. Louis und Studioporträts aus den 1910er Jahren. Viele der Zeitschriften und Zeitungen, in denen ihre Bilder ursprünglich veröffentlicht wurden, können über die allgemeinen Sammlungs- und Zeitungsforschungszentren der Bibliothek studiert werden. Der Großteil ihrer überlieferten Zeitungen und Fotografien befindet sich bei der Missouri Historical Society und im Smithsonian Museum of Natural History[1].
Übersetzt mit www.DeepL.com/Translator (kostenlose Version)
LoC (Beverly W. Brannan): Biographical Essay: Gerhard Sisters
BearbeitenGerhard Sisters
Biographical Essay | Resources | Image Sampler Biographical Essay Illustration shows portrait of Gerhard sisters sitting in profile. [Emme and Mayme Gerhard] [between 1900 and 1914] https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011648559/
When the Gerhard Sisters opened their own photographic studio in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1903, newspapers and magazines rarely hired women as staff photographers to capture late breaking news. But, photographs by Emme Gerhard (1872-1946) and her sister Mayme Gerhard (1876-1955) appeared frequently in local and national media showing buildings and gardens, engagement and wedding pictures, and portraits of progressive political and social leaders, visiting politicians, suffragettes, preachers, and entertainers. In 1904, the sisters made their best-known images by documenting Native Americans and other ethnic groups at the St. Louis World's Fair.
The Gerhards held leadership roles in professional organizations and became fellows in England's Royal Photographic Society. Their images and business acumen enabled them to attain economic independence and even travel for pleasure. They worked together until 1936 and afterwards continued to explore their own photographic specialties. They are noteworthy examples of women who integrated their responsibilities at home with their participation in the public sphere.
The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division acquired its Gerhard holdings through copyright deposits and has more than 100 photos made between 1904 and the early 1920s, primarily their work with ethnic portraits at the St. Louis World's Fair and studio portraits from the 1910s. For representative examples of the Gerhard Sisters' work, see the Image Sampler. Many of the magazines and newspapers where their images were originally published are available for study through the Library's general collection and newspaper research centers, including the subscription database services. The bulk of their surviving papers and photographs are at the Missouri Historical Society and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. (See the Resources section for additional information.)
Early Life
The Gerhard's parents came to the United States as children from Cologne, Germany, in the mid-1800s. They settled in Mascoutah, Illinois, and had moved to St. Louis, Missouri, by 1869. Their father worked successively as a teamster, butcher, and storekeeper in the large German-American community, which included a large number of photographers, retouchers and engravers.
The Gerhards began their photography careers as young women. They studied for three years with Fitz W. Guerin, the best-known St. Louis portraitist and a photographer of staged scenes. When Guerin retired in January 1903, the Gerhards acquired his studio and negatives. Their timing was perfect. Five years of renovations in the city between 1899 and the World's Fair in 1904 put the Gerhard Sisters in the heart of a new St. Louis at the height of the Progressive political era.
Although the sisters claimed to be the first female operated photography business in St. Louis when they opened "The Gerhard Sisters" studio in 1903, a guide to early St. Louis photographers shows that they followed a handful of women trailblazers, some of whom worked for more than a decade. Characteristically, early women photojournalists were self-promoters.
The St. Louis World's Fair
Their best-known works are the photographs they made at the St. Louis World's Fair, featuring indigenous people from throughout the world but especially from the Philippines which the United States had acquired as a territory in 1898.
Anthropologists at Chicago's Field Museum recognized the Fair as an opportunity to gain valuable ethnographic photographs without expensive expeditions to the several countries represented. Charles Carpenter, the Museum's staff photographer, oversaw a team of photographers--Frances Benjamin Johnston and the Gerhard Sisters--whose work was of professional quality and who used large-format view cameras.1 Jessie Tarbox Beals also photographed at the Fair but she was not part of the Carpenter team.
The Gerhards photographed Iggorot and Moro people from the Philippines and Negritos from Oceania, as well as Eskimo, Chinese, and Japanese people. Some of the photographs portray people sympathetically but others capitalize on features considered to be inferior, particularly the ones titled "Missing Link" -1 and -2 that emphasize the simian appearance of one man. In that era of eugenics studies, a newspaper used this photograph to head an article titled "Which is Man, Which is Monkey."
Some of the Gerhard's images from the Exposition seem to have been made in their studio, away from the "controlled chaos" of the outdoor displays on the Fair's Midway. One of those is a portrait of Geronimo that contains an accidental "portrait" of the photographer at work. It is reflected in Geronimo's eye and was discovered in 2009 when the Library's photo conservator realized someone was looking back at her as she worked. The "portrait" shows a woman wearing a white shirtwaist blouse with a dark skirt, the uniform of "the New Woman" of the 1890s and early 1900s. The phrase New Woman referred to feminists.2
The Gerhards photographed people of the Cheyenne, Osage, and Pueblo and Moki tribes. Some of their images, such as the portrait of Wolf Robe and Navajo Family, appear empathetic. Others of their photographs, such as the one labeled "Navajo Buck and Squaw" reflect prevailing stereotypes.
The Gerhards also photographed activities on the fairgrounds. An Arapaho group appears outside a structure made of branches at the Fair. Other scenes show interiors of Cheyenne houses, and action scenes of the Hopi Snake and Eagle dancers. The Gerhards' photographs provide rare ethnographic documentation as some of the dance scenes were soon restricted from photographers.
Eskimos had been popular at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and also appeared in St. Louis. The Gerhard photos taken in St. Louis include one of Nancy Columbia, who was born at the Chicago Fair, and "Ester," who is wearing a photographic broach showing Nancy Columbia.
The Gerhards lost many of their valuable images in a February 1905 fire in their studio that destroyed more than 300 of their glass plate World's Fair negatives. Mayme valued them at $10,000 at the time.3
Working Partnership
Like many other entrepreneurs, the Gerhards' personal history was vague until the advent of electronic databases. Even their first names were spelled more than one way Emme or Emma and Mayme or Mamie. Emme was more artistic; Mayme excelled in business. Their temperaments so complemented each other that they felt they worked as one. Energetic, enthusiastic, and optimistic, they built on the techniques learned from Guerin, but they developed their own style. They abandoned conventional ideas about studio lighting in favor of natural light, bringing the characteristics of the home to the public arena. Their studio was described as soft and warm with an inviting and restful atmosphere.
The relaxing ambiance and nuanced lighting of their studio allowed sitters to look as if they were at home--in front of a fireplace, talking in the corner of a room. The sisters studied portraits painted by Old Masters that seemed to capture a subject's essence, even though they had to overcome the challenge of their short acquaintance as opposed to the extended time needed by the painter. The photograph of suffragette Laura Clay exemplifies this intimate style of portraiture. The Gerhards also made photographs of other women campaigning for the suffrage movement on their stops in St. Louis. In their studio they used natural light but they mastered artificial lighting to photograph weddings, gathering and events around the city.
Combining Personal and Professional Lives
In about 1899, Emme married Albert W. Rhein, a stationery engraver. They lived in St. Louis with Emme's parents and Albert's brother Russell G. Rhein, also a photographer. Emme worked as a photographer's helper. On Oct. 12, 1906, Emme and Albert had a son Gerhard while living in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. In the 1920 census, Emme was listed as a widow, living with her son in the home of her sister, Mayme. Emme's husband, however, was listed as divorced, and living in a St. Louis household that included his sister Alice, a photo retoucher.
Mayme Gerhard, married Thomas Goodale Hawley, a dentist who was formerly a photographer himself. The couple lived at 1824 Lami Street in St. Louis, sometimes with some of Mayme's siblings. The extended Gerhard family worked as photographers with Emme and Mayme employing their sisters and brother in the photo studio occasionally. The sisters were economically self-sufficient, raised children who became self-supporting, and had the means to travel as far as England and Hawaii.
Professional Activities
The Gerhards attended photography conventions at least as early as 1905 in Boston, and photography periodicals report their attendance at conventions in major cities across the United States through 1920. Mayme frequently served as an officer in the organizations while Emme provided most of the speeches, demonstrations, and photographs for exhibitions. Her 1916 talk, "Portrait-Lighting with Mercury-Vapor Lamps," was published as an article under both their names by the Cooper Hewitt Electric Company, Hoboken, N.J.4
The Gerhards held office and won prizes in the Missouri Photographers' Association and the Missouri Valley Association but were most involved in the Women's Federation of the Photographers' Association of America. Organized in 1910 as a resource for the increasing number of women entering the photography field, the Women's Federation existed for only nine years but played an important role in educating and promoting the works of women photographers. It held exhibitions of women's photographs at annual meetings and organized lectures, demonstrations, and exhibits throughout the country in studios run by women. When the Women's Federation merged with the Photographer's Association, Mayme Gerhard was the first woman to hold national office, and she was also made an associate of Britain's Royal Photographic Society in 1913.
During this period, laws regulating fair use of photographs were evolving and Mayme carefully guarded the studio's business interests. The April 1, 1916, issue of Photo Era, published an article that quoted a letter the Gerhard Sisters included with their dues to the Copyright League, "Enclosed find check for $2, in payment for one year due the Copyright League. We cannot begin to tell you how much the League has helped us, and incidentally, how much money we have received from violation of copyrights." The article expanded saying "Only a comparatively short time ago our pictures were considered fair and easy booty by newspapers and other publishers. Whenever they wished to use them, no questions were asked, no payment was given--THEY JUST TOOK THEM."5
The Gerhard Sisters joined the push to have photography considered as artistic expression rather than mechanical reproduction, as their 1916 letter to the editor of Bulletin of Photography shows. They cited seeing their local museum displaying Indian pottery, lace, and mummies, and New York's Metropolitan Museum exhibiting snuff boxes and the Pittsburgh Art Museum showing several rooms of amateur art while the St. Louis Museum refused since 1914 to exhibit their photographs because it defined them as mechanics. They implored the Photographer's Association of America to take up their cause.6
The sisters found their occupation still dominated by men in 1917 when Emme told a reporter, "We know that being women we must expect to do our work as well and then a little better than men if we would be recognized and accepted and compete upon equal terms with men." She acknowledged gender discrimination in photo contests, continuing, "Our first prizes were not won until our entries went in without other identification marks than numbers."7
Photography clubs denied women membership as did advertising organizations. In June 1917, when the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World held its thirteenth annual convention in St. Louis, women were permitted to attend even though the local chapter excluded women from membership. Mayme Gerhard was one of three local women "honored by the National Program Committee by being placed on the program for the women's conference."8
Final Years
The Gerhard sisters maintained studios at several places in St. Louis until Emme left in July 1936 to study "the art of the primitive" at an artist colony near Mexico City for a month before relocating to New York where she lived with her son, Gerhard R. Gerhard, a lawyer in Port Washington, N.Y. She exhibited regularly at the International Salon of Photography in the United States, Canada and Western Europe and her photographs generally received awards. In 1938, she was made a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of England. Emme died in 1946.
Mayme operated the studio with her daughter Vera Hawley Smith until 1941 after her husband died in 1935 and Emme left St. Louis. As Mayme Gerhard Hawley, she died in St. Louis on Oct. 16, 1955.
Accomplishments
The Gerhard Sisters figure among those who pioneered the "New Woman" idea of 1900. The Gerhards shaped their own lives and, by doing so, helped make photography a profession for women. They maintained a middle-class lifestyle and were able to employ their siblings as well as other office assistants. They raised self-sufficient children--Emme's son became a Harvard trained lawyer who argued before the Supreme Court and Mayme's daughter a professional photographer.
The two women provided publicity to those on the front lines of bringing voting rights to women, and they participated fully in professional organizations for photography and advertising. They helped dispel perceptions that women's work was inferior. The quality of the Gerhard's work has held up over time. Their photographs at the World's Fair interest researchers more than one hundred years later. They left an inspiring legacy well worth rediscovering.
1 Eric Breitbart, A World on Display: Photographs from the St. Louis World's Fair, 1904. (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1997), e10-11.
2 Wikipedia: "The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century. A new woman pushed against the limits set by male-dominated society, especially as modeled in the plays of Norwegian Henrik Ibsen."
3 "Phone Failed to Save Art Works: Fire in Gerhard Sisters' Photograph Studio Wrecks Valuable Negatives, World's Fair Views Gone." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, FAeb. 17, 1905, 2.
4 Photo Era 36 (May 1, 1916): 258.
5 Photo Era 36 (April 1, 1916): 198.
6 Bulletin of Photography, May 24, 1916: 459, 662.
7 Marguerite Martyn. "St. Louis Women Who Have Made a Notable Success in Business," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 10, 1917, p. 23.
8 "Women Share in Convention on Advertising." St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 3, 1917, C3.
Prepared by: Beverly W. Brannan, Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division, 2011. Last revised: May 2011.
Quelle: Prepared by: Beverly W. Brannan, Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division, 2011. Last revised: May 2011, https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/womphotoj/gerhardsessay.html
Beverly W. Brannan, "Gerhard Sisters: Biographical Essay", The Library of Congress. Retrieved 18 March 2013. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/womphotoj/gerhardsessay.html
LoC: A Sisterly Profession, November 2011
BearbeitenThe 1904 St. Louis World's Fair thrust the city into the global spotlight. For seven months, fair-goers experienced the latest achievements in technology, fine arts, manufacturing, science, civics, foreign policy and education. The fair also highlighted exhibits from 50 foreign countries and 43 of the then-45 states.
Emme and Mayme Gerhard. Between 1900 and 1916. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-DIG-ppmsca-31604 (digital file from original item); Call No.: Illus. in TR1 .B85 vol. 18, no. 446, p. 231 [General Collections] Photo shows the famous Apache warrior Geronimo, photographed during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Mo. The close-up view of his left eye reveals a reflection of the photographer. 1904. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ62-17723 (b&w film copy neg.) LC-DIG-ppmsca-31491 (detail of eye, digital file from original photo); Call No.: LOT 4863, no. 14 [item] [P&P]
Making their mark at the fair were Emme and Mayme Gerhard, whose photographs of the indigenous people in the exhibits are some of their best-known works. Anthropologists at Chicago's Field Museum recognized the fair as an opportunity to gain valuable ethnographic photographs without expensive expeditions to the several countries represented. The sisters were part of a team of photographers hired to lend the museum their talents.
The Gerhards began their photography careers as young women. They studied for three years with Fitz W. Guerin, the best-known St. Louis portraitist and a photographer of staged scenes. When Guerin retired in January 1903, the Gerhards acquired his studio, claiming to be the first female-operated photograph business in the city.
The sisters figure among those who pioneered the "New Woman" idea of 1900. They shaped their own lives and, by doing so, helped make photography a profession for women.
The Library's Prints and Photographs Division has put together a reference aid on women photographers. Spanning from the 1800s to the 1990s, this resource offers an outline of the prominent and pioneering women working in the photojournalism field. The Prints and Photographs Division acquired its Gerhard holdings through copyright deposits and has more than 100 photos made between 1904 and the early 1920s, primarily their work with ethnic portraits at the St. Louis World's Fair and studio portraits from the 1910s.
LoC: The Wise Guide, A Sisterly Profession, November 2011, https://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/nov11/sisters.html
Anne Johnson, Notable Women of St. Louis: Gerhard Sisters
BearbeitenGERHARD SISTERS
NOTABLE WOMEN OF ST. LOUIS 79
GERHARD SISTERS
The Gerhard Sisters were the first women photographers to establish a studio in St. Louis. Beginning as little girls, in the employ of F. W. Guerin, a famous early-day photographer, they worked with him for ten years, mastering every detail of the photographic business, and when Mr. Guerin retired, moving to California, succeeded him, taking over his interests and developing new and original ideas and methods which, as they have applied to portrait photography, give a value and beauty of execution equal to painted portraits.
The ten years in which they have maintained a studio have been progressively successful, and they now have the satisfaction of seeing their introduction of more artistic effects appreciated, and their ambitions realized by giving to their work a recognized value wherever exhibited. They have a branch studio in North St. Louis, but their main studio on Olive Street, near Grand Avenue, was built under their supervision, and in accordance with the purposes they had in view. There are seven or eight rooms, and the first thing noticeable is the absence of photographic properties; the rooms have very large, many-paned windows, broad window seats, fireplaces, cozy corners, etc. They are decorated in soft, warm tones that make the whole atmosphere inviting and restful.
The conventional light, at an angle of forty-five degrees, as taught by photographers, is ignored, and only the natural light of every day life enters into their compositions.
In such an atmosphere the sitter unconsciously relaxes and loses the sense of posing which is associated with having one's "picture taken." This is the condition Misses Gerhard consider essential for the production of their "character pictures." After studying the portraits painted by the old masters. Miss Gerhard has asked the question: "What qualities have these painters put into their work that makes them still 'alive' after centuries have elapsed?" It must be the soul, the real self of the subject, which so often eludes the camera, and now they devote themselves to developing this feature in their portraits. Since we are all actors, and it is so difficult to drop the habit of pose, she endeavors to induce her subjects to forget the old "sit up and look pleasant" attitude which was almost impossible when one's head was supported by an iron hook and which one could not forget for a second. To many of us the recollection of having a picture taken, or a tooth pulled, is about the same experience.
80 NOTABLE WOMEN OF ST. LOUIS
There is a possibility, too, that when our mask is removed and we show our real selves, we might show other attributes than beautiful ones. There may be mixed and varied virtues reproduced, and when the result is as relentlessly telling as a Bertillon thumb imprint, the result might not always be pleasing. A posed picture might make a man look as though he were a ruler in the financial and social world, while the unposed or relaxed might show him as his wife or valet knows him best. These pictures are never retouched, stray hairs or blemishes are left just as the merciless camera shows them. A frown will be shown as taken, or, if one when relaxed is relieved of the frown the picture may show a beauty of expression never before noticed. The aim of the Gerhard pictures is the quintessence of naturalness. Groups are arranged before the fireplace as if in the home, chatting in cozy corners, playing games, singing and dancing; in fact, in all the pleasures and occupations that constitute our daily life, and those we love, shown in their natural positions, with the question of light effect merely as an accessory. The new electric light used for pictures taken in the homes, has made it possible to reproduce any part of a house; it is the first one used west of New York.
When their mode of coloring or tinting photographs is used, the resemblance to oil paintings is startling in its result, especially when the "character" has been successfully drawn out of a subject. "Take, for instance, the portrait of a young girl of fourteen years," Miss Gerhard explained; "one can see that she is undeveloped — a fledgeling, her character not yet moulded and her photograph is just a plain likeness; but — " showing another of the same girl, all animation, full of life and laughter, a hint of what life holds unfolding in her face, and the picture becomes a gem. Add to the facial lineaments that indefinable something which lies dormant, a vision of the future, perhaps, and you have a treasure to be cherished throughout the coming years. They do not consider the eyes which tell such varying stories, but the chin, mouth, nose, forehead and cheeks, furnish the desired expression.
Many portraits were made during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, when tribes from all parts of the world were represented. The director of the Field Museum saw the opportunity to get a valuable ethnological collection if he could get a photographer, so he called on the Gerhard Sisters. They agreed to take pictures of all the savages he could bring, and their collection is a rare one.
The Gerhard Sisters attended every convention in the interest of photography, and their work has attracted much attention. They explain
NOTABLE WOMEN OF ST. LOUIS 81
their methods, and are always on the lookout for new ideas, keeping abreast with all late developments.
Many medals and honorable mention have been awarded them. The "Photo-Era," an American journal of photography, placed on its front cover of the September issue of 1913 one of the pictures displayed by them at the convention in Kansas City of the same year, and which was considered one of the best shown at that convention. It represented a young girl holding a vase of flowers, the beauty of the expression being caught by the camera in a charming and happy way.
The Misses Gerhard are women of strong individuality and lovable temperament, and are much admired by their patrons.
Quelle: Notable women of St. Louis, 1914; by Johnson, Anne (André) "Mrs. Charles P. Johnson", 1871- Publication date: 1914 Publisher: St. Louis, Woodward Seite 78 bis 81 https://archive.org/details/notablewomenofst00john/page/n119/mode/2up
Photo-Era - The American Journal of Photography, 1916
BearbeitenGerhard Sisters, in: Photo-Era - The American Journal of Photography, Vol. XXXVI (36), Nr. 1, January, 1916 Portrait-Lighting with Mercury-Vapor Lamps https://archive.org/details/photoera36unse/page/n9/mode/2up?q=%22Gerhard+Sisters%22
Studio Light
BearbeitenStudio light ... a magazine of information for the profession
Publication date: [19-]
Publisher: Rochester, N.Y., Eastman kodak company https://archive.org/details/studiolightmagaz1914rochuoft/page/n117/mode/2up?q=%22Gerhard+Sisters%22 Studio Light Vol. 6, April 1914, No. 2, S. 18/19
OUR ILLUSTRATIONS
Every photographer who has attended a National Convention in recent years knows of the Gerhard Sisters and their work. Their charming personalities have won for them many friends, while their indefatigability and keenness for everything which might be of benefit to them in their business has helped them to attain an enviable position in the world of photography.
The Gerhard Sisters were retouchers for F. W. Guerin, of St. Louis, and at his death succeeded him in the business. Realizing that the buying public had come to expect something more of the photographer than the stereotyped portrait, and that this same public was willing to pay for work of real artistic merit, they made a study of art and applied their ideas in a practical way to their photography. They have been unusually successful but they have worked hard to gain each step of the up-hill climb.
Their success in studio work was followed by the "pictures in your home" idea, in which they have also been successful. No half-way measures were adopted in this branch of their work, their outfit for home portraiture being as complete as for studio work. Their progessiveness led them to adopt Eastman Portrait Film ex- clusively for home portraiture — its quality and convenience ap-
STUDIO LIGHT
19
pealing to them as it has to every photographer who must work in the homes of his subjects. And though every home portraitist must work under conditions un- favorable to the use of glass plates, these conditions are read- ily overcome by the exceptional speed and non-halation qualities of the film.
We might add that while a quantity of Artura is used in this studio, the highest priced work is made on Eastman Etching Platinum exclusively.
Alive to their opportunities, these women have persevered in their belief that the public wants better work and will pay the price for it. They have spared no expense to put quality into their product, and with a tenac- ity of purpose which any man might be proud of, thay have not only built up an excellent busi- ness — but have erected a beauti- ful studio planned after their own ideas and requirements.
It is our privilege to show a number of beautiful examples of the home portrait work of the Gerhard Sisters in this number of Studio Light. They are of unusual interest, not only as illus- trations of the very clever work of these women, but as exam- ples of the exceptional quality of Eastman Portrait Film as well.
++ ++ ++ ++
Portrait by Ansco Company Publication date 1909 Topics: Photography Publisher: [Binghamton, N.Y. : Ansco Co.] S. 15
Our Cover Portrait and the Hall of Fame
THE Gerhard Sisters, whose portrait adorns the cover of this issue, have, by the originality of their work, which has at times been almost dar- ing, jumped into deserved prominence during the last few years. They operate in an age when individuality is appreciated, and their success has not only been gratifying to themselves but also a source of pleasure to their friends, who are legion.
In addition to their artistic ability they possess the gift of scattering content and even happiness among those with whom they come in contact, which has perforce played an important part in their success.
The Gerhard Sisters were the first women profes- sional photographers in St. Louis, where they became the successors of F. W. Guerin some years ago. They were remarkably successful and owing to the rapid growth of their business they found it necessary to acquire larger premises and, therefore, erected a model photographic studio, at a cost of $25,000, which was opened recently.
The two radiantly pleasant and beautiful sisters are always part of the life and attraction of all the National Photographers' conventions. In St. Paul this year they were pointed out as the sisters whose beautiful work on Cyko Linen was exhibited in room No. 71, which was the gravitating center of the Convention.
https://archive.org/details/portrait319111912ansc/page/n101/mode/2up?q=%22Gerhard+Sisters%22
++ ++ ++
- Gerhard Sisters, „Portrait-Lighting with Mercury-Vapor Lamps“, in: Photo-Era - The American Journal of Photography, Vol. XXXVI (36), Nr. 1, January, 1916, page 3 to 6, https://archive.org/details/photoera36unse/page/n9/mode/2up?q=%22Gerhard+Sisters%22
Literatur und Quellen
Bearbeiten- Anne Maxwell, „Framing the Asia-Pacific: The Gerhard Sisters at the St. Louis World’s Fair“, in: History of Photography, Volume 39, Issue 3
Pages 227-241, published online: 05. August 2015, Taylor and Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03087298.2015.1014243, https://doi.org/10.1080/03087298.2015.1014243
Weblinks
Bearbeiten- Alamy, Gerhard sisters Stock Photos and Images (128), https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/gerhard-sisters.html?sortBy=relevant
- Library of Congress (LoC), LoC's Public Domain Archive, https://loc.getarchive.net/topics/gerhard+sisters
- New York Public Library (NYPL), Photography Collection, Portrait of Miss Mary Allen #6, http://wallachprintsandphotos.nypl.org/catalog/7686
- National Portrait Gallery (NPG), Portrait of Charles Fiske, https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp132502/gerhard-sisters
- Luminous Lint, Gerhard Sisters, http://www.luminous-lint.com/app/photographer/1_Gerhard_Sisters
- The State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO), Gerhard Sisters Studio Photographs, 1911-1922 (P0961), 7 photographs, Portraits of Missourians by the Gerhard Sisters, a St. Louis-based studio, https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/p0961
Personen-Normdaten etc.
Bearbeiten- Wikimedia Commons, Category:Gerhard Sisters, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gerhard_Sisters
- WikiData: Gerhard Sisters (Q41564945), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41564945
- VIAF ID: 156079830 (Körperschaft), http://viaf.org/viaf/156079830
- Library of Congress (LoC), http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92026893
- ArtNet, https://www.artnet.com/artists/emma-and-mayme-gerhard/past-auction-results
- Mutual Art, https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Gerhard-Sisters/AA328973A44E4874
- New York Public Library, https://pic.nypl.org/constituents/3399
- ↑ Missouri Historical Society, „Gerhard Sisters Collection, Identifier: P0257“, https://mohistory.org/collections/item/P0257
- ↑ Missouri Historical Society, „Gerhard Sisters Collection, Identifier: P0257“, https://mohistory.org/collections/item/P0257