How We See What They Saw

A “Micro” Reading Room of Photobooks by Women at George Mason University. Inspired by 10×10 Photobooks’ How We See: Photobooks by Women (2017) and What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women, 1843-1999.

In 1843, the British botanist Anna Atkins published her photographs of algae, creating the first photographically illustrated book. Since then, women have continued to make significant and important contributions to the medium, but these works are often undervalued or unrecognized. 

Inspired by the 10×10 Photobooks exhibitions and publications How We See: Photobooks by Women (2018) and What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women, 1843-1999 (2021), Fenwick Gallery will host a reading room showcasing photobooks by women and non-binary artists selected from the University Library’s collections.  

Featuring self-published works from small presses to trade editions and exhibition catalogs from commercial publishers, How We See What They Saw includes over 80 photobooks and monographs, dating from 1843 to 2025, which highlight the dynamic contributions women around the world have made to photography and the photobook medium. 

The How We See What They Saw micro-reading room draws from the holdings and special collections at the George Mason University Libraries and was realized at the university’s Fenwick Gallery by J Carrier, Stephanie H. Grimm, Donald H. Russell, Liz Louise Johnson, Michael McDermott, Jeffrey Kenney and Ben Bowen with thanks to: Zoë Charlton, Anne Osterman, Lynn Eaton and the staff of the Fenwick Library Access Services team.