Natalia Baquedano, pioneer female photographer and one of the first Mexican woman to open a photography studio
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Natalia Baquedano, pioneer female photographer and one of the first Mexican woman to open a photography studio

A pioneer of photography in Mexico, she was born in the city of Querétaro in 1874 in a well-off family. At an early age, she and her family moved to Mexico City, where she later installed a photographic studio, one of the first installed ones by a woman.

Her photography stood out for making portraits, mostly of women.

It is known that she studied Art at the Academy of San Carlos, which could have influenced the fact that she used to convert some of her photos into collages, by incorporating ornaments such as flowers, ribbons, and drawings.

Natalia also invented printed photography on natural flower petals. Although defamed by a man who claimed the invention of the procedure, Natalia could prove that that was not true.

In the family archive, there are between 200 and 250 photographs of Natalia, however, it is not known how many more photographs can exist outside this inventory.

Natalia dies in 1936 at 64 years old.

Natalia Baquedano. Her sister Clemencia in front of the mirror. México D.F., c. 1900. Archive Santi Lesur

References:

Bartra, Eli (1996) By the vicinity of the woman and the photographic portrait: Natalia Baquedano and Lucero González. Politics and Culture [online]. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco. Retrieved on March 5, 2020 from https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/267/26700607.pdf