WOMEN'S PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The WOMEN'S PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND, founded on 2 May 1938, was the female counterpart of the Cleveland Photographic Society. It was said to have been founded when several women were refused entrance into a men's photographic society. The organization's first president was Mary Jane (Mrs. Albert) Matheson, and there were 80 members that first year. By the mid-1940s there were 160 members, and the group was said to be one of only 3 such women's photography groups in the U.S. Annual print shows were held at this time. As late as the early 1960s, it remained the only all-woman camera club in Cleveland. Members viewed and judged members' photos, went on picture-taking trips, and held instructive programs. The organization appears to have thereafter faded away.

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