Behind most renowned male photographers in the Middle East, there was usually a woman assistant in the background. Women have played multiple yet undocumented roles since the emergence of photography in the region in the mid-19th century as assistants in photography studios or as photographers, though historians are now discovering evidence of women photographers working in studios after years of disregard.
Historian Stephen Sheehi notes that the reason why it is so difficult to know the full history of the role women played in early Middle Eastern photography is that most women worked in separate rooms in the studios and behind the scenes. For instance, during early Ottoman photographic studios, there were specific rooms for women photographers. This is also because the female models at the time were more comfortable working with a woman photographer rather than a male photographer, and so photographs of women were done in ‘secret rooms’.
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Today, a new generation of Arab women photographers are appearing in the spotlight, from names such as Lebanese photographer Myriam Boulos, with her images being published in Vogue, Time, and Vanity Fair, as well as Bahraini photographer Mashael Al Saie, whose photography focuses on reimagining local Bahraini archives.
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