At the beginning of this course, I did not know anyone or what to expect of this blog project. Karli and I had happened to fly in on the same flight and ended up being roommates for the trip, so I was happy to work with her on the project. Looking at the list of people Carmen suggested, I did not know a single person on the list. However, I did know I wanted to research a female who made a difference in Berlin’s history. Karli suggested that we do Else Neuländer-Simon, since she recognized a photograph after searching her on the Internet. I have an affinity towards anything related to fashion, so Else was an easy pick for us.
Her images are easily recognizable as a whole, but we did not know any information behind the photographer who goes by her artist name, Yva. During our initial research, we were surprised at the fact that she was Jewish. Looking into the historical context in which she lived made us realize that the situation was not set up in her favor. Being Jewish made it very difficult for anyone of that background to stay successful under the power of the Nazi regime. Yva was able to get by under her artist name for a bit, but she eventually had to give up ownership of her studio to her “Aryan” friend. Yva was still able to thrive to a point during this time though, which speaks to her determination.
When researching her accomplishments, we were amazed that a woman photographer could be so successful at that time. Given what we had learned in the historical context portion of our research, the early 20th century was not exactly easy for a woman to strike out on her own, let alone in experimental photography. Women were given the right to vote when Yva was a young adult, and women were still seen as property of the males in their lives. She went against the norm of marriage and settling down right away when she opened her studio with her brother’s help. And although she is most remembered for her commercial pieces, she began her career experimenting with lighting and how to portray women in a patriarchal world.
Yva is prime example of a person who continues doing their passion regardless of the circumstances, which is one reason that I appreciated learning about her. Even though we only had to provide a few examples of her work, I thoroughly enjoy looking through her photographs. Many of the photos have a sense of timelessness to them and could be framed and put in any person’s home today. The gracefulness and femininity exemplified in her striking black-and-white photos add to the timeless class associated with her work. Matt Witkovsky perfectly summarizes it in an article for Dazed, “Chic but with an edge to it, that’s how I think of Yva”.
Else could have easily closed her studio and left Germany when Hitler came to power or when the Nuremburg Laws were enacted. She and her husband may still be alive today if they had, but Yva was determined to continue her work in Berlin. One can only imagine the impact Yva would have had in the arts had her life not been cut short. Had she been placed in a different point in time, she may not have made such a large impact in photography or Berlin because her techniques and style of photographing women were so novel during the 1920 and 30s. Regardless, Yva and her work have made a beautiful impact on Berlin’s history and culture.