KASEBIER, GERTRUDE

born May 18, 1852, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. died Oct. 13, 1934, New York, N.Y. ne Gertrude Stanton American photographer, one of the founders of the Photo-Secession Group, best known for her painterly treatment of women and domestic scenes. Gertrude Stanton married Eduard Ksebier, a German immigrant and businessman, in 1874. From 1889 to 1896 she studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Although Ksebier originally intended to become a portrait painter, her interest shifted to photography during her studies. Her work was well received and often exhibited. Her first solo exhibition was held in 1896 at the Boston Camera Club. The following year Ksebier opened her studio in New York City, and she soon became a successful portrait photographer. Her photographs were selected for the influential Philadelphia Photographic Salon of 1898 and also included in the salons of 1899 and 1900. Her work appeared in numerous general interest magazines as well as publications devoted to photography. Like other pictorial photographers of the period, Ksebier was interested in promoting the medium as a fine art. As part of this effort, in 1902 she, Alfred Steiglitz, Clarence H. White, Joseph T. Keiley, and Edward Steichen formed the Photo-Secession. In 1916 she cofounded the Pictorial Photographers of America with White. She was also a member of the Professional Photographers of New York and a cofounder of the Women's Federation of the Photographers' Association of America. Ksebier is best known for her sensitive depictions of motherhood and for her numerous portraits, often of famous artists and writers. Especially notable is a 1907 series of photographs of the sculptor Auguste Rodin and his work. In all her work she attempted to capture a symbolic and intimate view of her subjects. Ksebier worked primarily with platinum prints, although she did begin using a gum bichromate process in 1901. She often manipulated her photographs to fit her artistic intentions.