Palestine's Karimeh Abbud (1893-1955) was arguably the Arab world's first professional female photographer. She would have turned 123 today, and Google decided to honor her legacy with a doodle.
"Abbud captured vast landscapes, many of which don’t exist today. Through her art, we’re able to experience the beauty of these regions as she saw them nearly 100 years ago," says Google. "Thank you, Karimeh, for making art that endures."
Meet Karimeh Abbud- or as she liked to call herself, the "Lady Photographer":
She first took interest in photography when she was 17
She got her first camera as a gift for her 17th birthday and started taking photographs of family and friends. She then began capturing cities and historical landmarks, especially the landscape of Bethlehem, where she grew up.
The first Palestinian woman to open a photography studio
Abbud worked from home in the early 1920s, taking pictures of women and children and covering ceremonies.
She showed great talent and soon became the first Palestinian woman to open a photography studio. Her Bethlehem-based studio gave breathing room for conservative women who did not have a chance to be comfortably photographed by a female before.
Abbud developed a unique style of capturing portraits, "letting her work reflect her subjects’ natural states". She dropped the European style of articulately staging portraits in studios and instead photographed her subjects in their homes.
Her services found high demand and she eventually became a leading photographer in the country.
An American University of Beirut graduate
Abbud graduated with a degree in Arabic literature from the American University of Beirut, but she continued working as a photographer. As a student in Beirut, she made a special trip to Baalbek to shoot the archaeological sites.
Not much is known about Abbud's life after the 1948 Nakba, except that she spent her final days in Nazareth.
Israeli misappropriation
According to Muftah, Abboud's work has been repeatedly credited as part of Israeli heritage.
Some publications dubbed her an "Israeli Portrait and Wedding Photographer" or the "Lady Photographer of Israel", claiming her photographs were taken in Israel, despite the fact that most of them were taken long before its formation.
Abbud's legacy includes hundreds of photos that reflect an important period of Palestinian history. Here is Palestine during the first half of the 20th century through her lens:
Nazareth:
The Jordan River:
Haifa:
The Galilee:
A Palestinian native:
