More than a century and a half ago, Jules Lion, a Parisian of part African-American descent, introduced the daguerreotype, an early form of photographic print, to the world. Within a few years, the first African-American photographers emerged. By 1920, the United States Census Bureau’s statistics identified 608 black photographers of whom 101 were women.

Flash forward to 1993, when an informal group of female photographers of African-American descent gathered together in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss ways to creatively express themselves through the photographic arts. A democratic collective was later formed and named “Sistagraphy”. The term combines “sista“ with “graphy” and means love for each other and gratitude for the photographic medium as a means of expression.

From the outset, the goal of Sistagraphy has been to provide a forum for black women photographers to examine the contemporary and historical issues that affect our society through the photographic medium. As the only known collective of this kind, Sistagraphy holds a unique place in the history of photography in the United States. Sistagraphy has over 50 exhibitions since its inception in 1993.

Learn more about this talented group of artists at http://www.sistagraphy.com