I recently purchased some vintage photographs from Etsy. You can find vintage photographs in antique stores and flea markets, but it seems there is less and less time for endeavors such as strolling through those places.
I have always loved old photographs of people from the past. I like to make up stories. I study their features, eyes and expressions. I wonder about their lives and about who the photographers were. Something I feel drawn to is the fact that you rarely see people smiling in those images. It seems to have been common to look directly into the camera with a straight face and a neutral expression, which to me makes these photographs perfect to experiment with. As a fine art photographer, I love non-smiling portraits. There is intensity and depth and seemingly endless possibilities for exploration and imagination.
I have been experimenting a lot lately, and the images shared here are some of the results of that experimentation. I have used vintage photographs specifically of women. I feel drawn to their faces. I have pondered about what it must have been like to be a woman back in the day, and while pondering I have come to be grateful to be living in the now instead of a hundred years ago, especially when I think about what opportunities women had - or didn’t have. I think about, for example, my two grandmothers whose lives were quite different from one another, but had commonalities as well. Both had six or more children, both lived through war, both worked very hard and tirelessly everyday to raise their children during a time where everything was scarce and so much about life was pure survival. When thinking about my grandmothers, hard work is what comes to mind, strenuous daily and difficult chores in order to provide what was needed for their families.
I wonder about their secret dreams and unfulfilled desires or whether they even thought about such things. Evidently, my maternal grandmother, whose images I have featured on here a few times, desired to become an opera singer. It makes me sad to think that such desires simply had no place or consideration in her life. I can only imagine that it was never talked about or even discussed. If she expressed it to her parents or husband, it may have been dismissed as silly or inappropriate. I will never know, but sometimes I seem to experience some grief on her behalf that she wasn’t able to pursue some of her artistic dreams.
At the same time, I think of my two grandmothers with awe and admiration. I think of their incredible strength and bravery living through war and overcoming tragedy and trauma. I think of their steadfast commitment, love and endless sacrifices. I don’t envy them, but I admire them deeply.
I think of many women from the past such as the “anonymous women” in these vintage photographs that, I imagine, lived through hardships, had very few choices, and had to make endless sacrifices. I think of them as unsung heroes that deserve to be highlighted, remembered and seen.
I used these vintage photographs paired and superimposed with my own images to re-invent, re-tell and re-imagine a part of their lives and stories, and create what I call “multiple exposure diptychs”. This series is progressing and continuing on. We will see where my experimentation will take me, and I will also write more about the meaning of the circular images. I have been a bit obsessed with circles.
Part of the title of today’s post was, of course, taken from Maya Angelou’s famous poem “Phenomenal Woman”.
Phenomenal Woman
By MAYA ANGELOU
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me. bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Items Of Note:
Some of my images were recently featured on the literary magazine Anthrow Circus , paired with an essay titled “How to be (maybe) ok when things are not ok” written by J. Aaron Simmons, whose Substack is called
.I am happy my images underline the message of this essay. Go check it out! It is well worth your time.
About Anthrow Circus:
Anthrow Circus is a mixed media collection crafted by artists, filmmakers, journalists, historians, designers, and other voices working together as creative anthropologists to examine culture and society through the lens of place.
We seek to foster engagement between creatives and a thoughtful audience in order to explore ideologies, create dialogue, empower voices, and bridge the distance between individuals in an ever
I have collaborated with Anthrow Circus a few times before and always say ‘yes’ when they ask to feature my work. Thank you to Kami Rice, executive director and editor in chief! It’s always a joy to collaborate with you.
If you have it made this far, thank you for reading! To publish every week here on Substack has been a great and challenging commitment that I have been loving, but it certainly takes hours every week to put together. You reading this and paying attention means more than I could express in words (or photographs). So, if you could share this with others who might enjoy it, I would be so grateful!
Thank you!!
Manuela
As usual a wonderful piece and beautiful fragile images. The poem you chose Phenomenal Woman is the same poem I used for the procure I created for an incredible women’s charity, The Marylebone Project, in London.
It is an amazing charity that looks after and houses112 women who have been suffering a period of homelessness and crisis. Additionally we support through The Sanctuary all women in crisis in the community. We provide medical services, hot food, laundry services, welfare advice, educational classes, community, respite and empathy. The poem is a call to arms and really encapsulates women celebrating women.
Great piece. Thank you
Manuela, these image are fabulous! I love them so much. Honestly, I'm not always a fan of photographers incorporating old images into their work, but these are wonderful and I feel like you've achieved what so many image makers fail to do by making these works of art truly your own. <3