ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA.- The Florida International Museum presents "Smithsonian Exhibit: Women of Our Time: Twentieth Century Photographs from the National Portrait Gallery," on view through May 4, 2003. This wide-ranging collection of photographs shows 75 of the most notable American women of the 20th century, as seen by many of our finest photographers, including Georgia O’Keeffe by Irving Penn, Eleanor Roosevelt by Clara Sipprell, Billie Holiday by Sid Grossman and Janis Joplin by Linda McCartney. Organized by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
This exhibition is about one of the 20th century’s most remarkable developments: the shifting role of women and their ever increasing significance in all branches of endeavor.
At the beginning of the century, to marry a good provider and raise children was just about all most middle-class American women dared hope for. Precious few went beyond high school. Becoming a doctor, an engineer, or a business executive was beyond the possibility for all but those with a rare supply of fortitude.
By the close of the century, though, no one is surprised to see women in high political office, on the U.S. Supreme Court, on the front lines of the armed forces, or in space.
The women featured in this exhibition were not only affected by this historic transformation, they became significant in bringing it about.
The most basic function of photographic portraits is to show us what a person looks like, but the biographically compelling images in this exhibition do so much more — they enrich our more qualitative understanding about the lives of these remarkable women.
The National Portrait Gallery’s photography collection was only recently established — in 1975. As this exhibition will show, the growing collection of nearly 10,000 photographs and historic negatives are indeed national treasures that will continue to enrich the lives of everyone.