The women of the 116th Congress: portraits of power

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Abrams Image
Publication Date
2019.
Language
English

Description

A photographic celebration of the women of the 116th—the most diverse Congress in American history.

The first woman Speaker of the House. The first female combat veteran. The first Native American women. The first Muslim women. The first openly gay member of the Senate. These are just some of the remarkable firsts represented by the women of the 116th Congress, the most diverse and inclusive in American history.

Just over a century ago, Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first and only woman in the House of Representatives. By the time of the 116th Congress, a total of 131 were seated in both chambers. The 2018 midterm elections brought a seismic change—and this book, a collaboration between New York Times photo editors Beth Flynn and Marisa Schwartz Taylor and photographers Elizabeth D. Herman and Celeste Sloman—documents the women of the 116th Congress, photographed in the style of historical portrait paintings commonly seen in the halls of power to highlight the stark difference between how we’ve historically viewed governance and how it has evolved.

Also featured are an illustrated timeline and list of firsts for women in Congress; “Her Vote, Her Voice” sections throughout that highlight historical moments in female politics; and an extended introduction and foreword by Roxane Gay.

The Women of the 116th Congress is a testament to what representation in the United States looks like in the twenty-first century—and an inspiration for what it may look like in the years to come.

More Details

Contributors
Gay, Roxane writer of foreword
Herman, Elizabeth D. photographer
Sloman, Celeste photographer
ISBN
9781419742460

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Published Reviews

Choice Review

In 2019, the US House of Representatives welcomed some 100 women, 36 of them new, as members of Congress. The New York Times marked this moment with a unique photo documentation project. Organized and shot by photojournalist Elizabeth Herman and New York Times photo editor Marissa Schwartz Taylor over six days in two studios in a room on Capitol Hill, The Women of the 116th Congress includes individual portraits of each congresswomen with corresponding quotes, a list of notable firsts relating to the 116th Congress, and a graphic timeline of female "trailblazers" in US political history. The ironic juxtaposition of the portraits was intentional: the women were shot in the century-old style of formal portrait paintings that historicized the authority of male political leaders. These female representatives range from pioneers such as Representative Nancy Pelosi and Senator Maxine Waters to the youngest woman ever elected to congressional office, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was 30 when elected. The #MeToo movement and women's political engagement reached new heights with the election of Donald Trump, so this volume commemorates more than a moment in time--it commemorates a transformation in US political history. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Angela I. Fritz, University of Notre Dame

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