A Series of Picture Pages Showing What American Women Have Done with the Camera
Edited by Frances Benjamin Johnston
Ladies Home Journal 18:12 (November 1901): 13.
Sixth Article: Zaida Ben-Yûsuf
A radical departure from tradition in any line of work usually makes the success of a new venture long delayed and difficult. This is particularly true of photographic portraiture, in which, until quite recently, a time-honored custom demanded a set arrangement of pose and lighting in order to fulfill the generally accepted idea of a good picture.
Unhampered by conventional methods, while strongly influenced by her artistic ideals, Miss Ben-Yûsuf entered the field of professional photography almost as a novice, but soon won wide recognition by her daring and original work. Devoting herself almost wholly to portraiture, Miss Ben-Yûsuf imbues all her studies with a touch of the picturesque, and at her best combines a rich effect of light with sweeping lines of drapery and distinction of pose.
Vivid and striking in treatment, Miss Ben-Yûsuf’s portraits are always characteristic, not only of her sitters, but also of her own intense personality.
