Queer Places:
Campo Cestio, Rome, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Lazio, Italy
Emma Planck (April 23, 1837 – January 5, 1923) was a German painter and photographer. She is recognized by art historians, such as Bodo von Dewitz, as one of Germany's first professional female photographers, standing alongside figures like Emilie Bieber.
While her exact birthplace has been a subject of some uncertainty, a 1915 passport indicates she was born in Seehausen, in the Altmark region of the Province of Brandenburg.
Planck appears to have been largely self-taught in the field of photography. She was a member of the Lette-Verein (a pioneering association for women's training and education in Berlin) and operated her own photography studio in Berlin.
In 1869, she was the only woman among the 120 members of the Berlin branch of the Deutscher Photographen-Verein (German Photographers' Association). Her professional reputation grew through her artistic achievements; for instance, she won a silver medal for her nature studies at the 1880 Commercial Exhibition for the Rhineland, Westphalia, and neighboring districts in Düsseldorf.
From 1870, she resided in Rome, Italy. She became a well-known figure within the community of German artists living there, and they celebrated her 70th birthday in 1907. She continued her artistic work while in Italy, including contributing an article titled "Ein römisches Modell" (A Roman Model) to the magazine Die Gartenlaube in 1874.
She passed away in Rome on January 5, 1923, and was interred at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome.
Though she lived during a time when Pictorialism was gaining significant influence, her photographic style reflected an artistic vision that some scholars consider a precursor to later photographic trends. While only a small number of her original works remain in museums, others are held in private collections.
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