Smithsonian Galaxy - Photographer Berenice Abbott, June 11, 1982

We’re kicking off the launch of TC Sound with a couple of strong women. In this 1982 lecture, aired on Smithsonian Galaxy, a radio program founded in 1979, photographer Berenice Abbott and writer Lillian Hellman discussed issues facing professional women, from cat-calling to equal pay. One important point that Abbott noted was how her work, like many creative women, was often considered “imitative” of her male contemporaries, like Man Ray, and later Eugène Atget. At one point in the talk, Abbott also disputed the rumor that Julien Levy helped her initially purchase Atget’s work. Assist a group of volunpeers in transcribing audio from this collection to make the voices of these pioneering women more accessible to the public. For more background on the series, explore the finding aid.