Women Photographers. Camera Fiends & Kodak Girls: 50 Selections by and about Women in Photography, 1840–1930, edited by Peter E. Palmquist.

Midmarch, 1989. Wraps, as issued, 272 pages, fine with front cover starting to curl.  Some of the women photographers who wrote or are the subject of these selections include Julia Margaret Cameron, Catharine Weed Barnes, Abbie Cardozo, Eva Watson (later Watson-Schütze), Gertrude Kasebier, Zaida Ben-Yusuf, Imogen Cunningham, Mary Carnell, Maude Wilson, Dorothea Lange, Laura Gilpin, et al.  A better copy than is generally available. Summary:

Camera Fiends & Kodak Girls (1989), edited by the pioneering photo-historian Peter E. Palmquist, is a landmark anthology that recovers the "lost voices" of women in photography. Spanning nearly a century, the 50 selections—ranging from personal diaries and technical manuals to satirical essays—document women’s transition from "subjects" of the lens to "operators" behind it.

Core Themes and Narrative

• The "Domestic" Darkroom: The book explores how photography initially entered women’s lives as a home-based craft. It highlights how the "Domestic Finish" of the household (patience, attention to detail) was rebranded as a professional asset in the photo studio.

• The Kodak Revolution: A major focus is the "Kodak Girl" phenomenon of the 1880s and 90s. Palmquist shows how the democratization of the camera allowed women to move into the public sphere as "Camera Fiends," capturing street life and social issues.

• Economic Independence: The anthology provides evidence of photography as one of the first socially acceptable "High-Performance" careers for women, allowing them to own businesses and compete with men in the commercial portrait market.