DUBAI: The little-known Palestinian photographer Karimeh Abbud was one of the trailblazers of the artform in the Arab world.
She began her career in the 1920s, stamping her images with the professional title of "Lady Photographer." It was only in recent years that her oeuvre came to light, offering a fascinating insight into different stratas of Palestinian society.
Another of Abbud's photographs of Palestinian life. (Photo credit: Ahmad Mrowat)
Abbud was born in Bethlehem to a Lutheran family that originally hailed from Lebanon. She received her first camera as a gift from her father on her 17th birthday, in 1913. Little did either of them know that her future practice would truly set her apart from the rest in the region.
"She was clearly a pioneer, being a female professional photographer in a craft that continues, even to this day, to be largely the domain of men," wrote Palestinian photography expert, Professor Issam Nassar, in an essay. "There is a possibility that Karimeh Abbud was the first Arab woman photographer, as well as the first one in Palestine."
One of Abbud's commissioned portraits. (Photo credit: Ahmad Mrowat)
Abbud ended up specializing, and earning her own income, in portraiture. During her short life, she captured local landscapes, wedding ceremonies, and members of her elegantly-dressed family. Entertainers, nurses, and villagers were photographed too. She colored some of her prints by hand.
In the beginning, she reportedly set up an atelier and darkroom at home, but she ended up establishing studios in a number of Palestinian cities. A cultivated woman, Abbud gained a degree in Arabic literature from the American University of Beirut, and spoke English, German, and Arabic.
One of Abbud's photographs. (Photo credit: Ahmad Mrowat)
Her gender actually opened some doors for her, putting female clientele and children at ease, and encouraging them to step into her space and have their picture taken, an activity that was new and exciting — and perhaps scary for some.
The 1930s were the peak of her career; a time when her international peers, such as Dorothea Lange and Robert Capa, were active in the US and Europe. Abbud died in 1940 as a result of tuberculosis, yet her images, a historical record of her homeland, live on. On what would have been her 123rd birthday she was honored with a Google Doodle, and her images have been displayed at several notable prestigious venues, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The world seems to be slowly recognizing her importance.
