reated using the Vivex Carbro colour process
involving three negatives,
and pioneered by D.A. Spencer, Yevonde (1893-1975)
dressed and styled society figures of the day as
subjects from Greek and Roman Mythology.
Yevonde Philone Cumbers was born in London,
but partially educated at boarding schools on the continent.
She joined the women's suffrage movement in 1910
and after seeing an advertisement in The Suffragette
decided to become a photographer's apprentice.
Quickly mastering the business as a pupil of
the leading West End photographer Madame Lallie Charles
of Curzon Street, Yevonde decided to set up on her own in 1914
with a studio at 92, Victoria Street and adopting
her first name and previous employer's term of address.
Her business prospered and in 1921 she moved to larger premises at 100,
Victoria Street and in the same year addressed
the Professional Photographer's Association,
reviewing the history of women in photography
and causing controversy in the male-dominated profession
by asserting women's superior abilities as portraitists.
Her work in colour began in the early 1930s and
continued until 1940 when the factory making the materials closed down.
Yevonde continued in photography until her retirement in 1971
when she generously presented her surviving exhibition prints
from her sixty-year career to the National Portrait Gallery.
Madame Yemonde Archive HERE.
Thank you Gabbi for sharing this link.
