By the early
1920's, she had also joined the ranks of the Professional
Photographers' Association and became the first woman
ever to be invited to address one of its meetings, where
she spoke on the subject of 'Photographic Portraiture
from the Woman's Point of View', a subject very close
to her heart. Havinq given the matter considerable thought,
and also sounded out the views of fellow women photographers,
including Dorothy Wilding and Yvonne Gregory, she boldly
put forward the view that women would always prove to
be better portrait photographers than men because of
their innate sympathy, patience and intuition. Controversial
though her views were to many of those in the audience,
and to others who followed the lively correspondence
that ensued in the photographic Press, she later received
generous praise for her courageous stance from such
eminent photographers as Herbert Lambert and Marcus
Adams.
Round about
1925, she also began to undertake advertising work and
other commercial assignments for magazines and started
exhibiting her work at the annual exhibitions of the
Royal Photographic Society.
By the end
of the 1920's, she was well established in her chosen
profession and making a good living, but also increasingly
frustrated by the limitations of black-and-white photography.
She longed for a greater challenge - and she did not
have long to wait.
|