One of the most important American photographers of the 20th century, Berenice Abbott was born in Springfield, Ohio on July 17, 1898. She was actually named Bernice but while in Europe she changed it to the French spelling of Berenice. Reared by her divorced mother, Berenice would attend the University of Ohio before dropping out and moving to New York City in 1918. She stayed in Greenwich Village with friends and would there meet other bohemians such as Djuna Barnes, Malcolm Cowley and the anarchist, Hippolyte Havel, who “adopted” her. While in NYC Berenice pursued journalism, sculpture and theater, although, she nearly died from the influenza pandemic of 1919.



In 1921 Abbott moved to Europe where she continued her sculpture studies in Berlin and Paris. She became interested in photography in 1923 when Man Ray hired her as a darkroom assistant in his Montparnasse studio. After that, she lost all interest in sculpture and became obsessed with photography. In 1926 Abbott had her first solo exhibition in Paris and after studying photography in Berlin she returned to Paris and opened her first studio in 1927.

During this time she mostly photographed members of the artistic and literary community, such as James Joyce, Djuna Barnes and the great Atget, whose work she had been introduced to by Man Ray. After Atget’s death, Abbott was able to purchase many of his negatives and returned to the United States to find a publisher for his photography and promote his work. Her efforts over the next decades would eventually help Eugene Atget receive International recognition. Upon her return to New York she was amazed by the city’s transformation and saw its photographic potential. Within the year she had closed her studio in Paris and returned permanently to the US. She was unable to obtain funding for her New York City photographic project and had to support herself with commercial projects and teaching at the New School of Social Research while she continued to visually document the changing face of NYC for the next six years. However, in 1935, the Federal Art Project hired her as a project supervisor for her “Changing New York” project. Now she had both the financial backing and assistants so that she could quit her job and dedicate herself full time to visually document NYC.



In 1935 Abbott also moved in with her lover, the art critic, Elizabeth McCausland. They were together until McCausand’s death in 1965. McCausland was a great admirer and supporter of Abbott’s work and wrote several articles in praise of her photography.

Berenice was a proponent of straight photography. She disliked any manipulation of the photographic image whether it be the subject matter or the developing process.

After she underwent a lung operation and due to the pollution in New York, Berenice Abbott moved to Maine where she lived and continued to photograph until her death in 1991.