ABSTRACT
Based on the case studies presented, the final chapter attempts to draw some general conclusions about the photography produced by women in the settler societies bordering the Pacific. Important findings include the fact that in the nineteenth century many women defied convention by experimenting with outdoor subjects, and the lack of training opportunities and professional support networks for women owed as much to physical isolation and slow methods of transport as to longstanding professional barriers. Further findings are that even in the early twentieth century, settler women photographed indigenous peoples in ways that implicitly accorded with the colonialist project and many still chose to leave the profession for marriage and motherhood. A fifth important finding is that art schools, photographic societies, mentors and better transport and circulation of printed materials were key to more women becoming art photographers in the twentieth century. The chapter also refers to the role of art historians, galleries and museums in determining which photographers’ works have remained in the spotlight and which have faded from people’s memories, and what the recent turn away from the study of individual photographers might mean for future research on women’s photography.
