Stolen Glances: Lesbians Take Photographs

by Tessa Boffin (Editor), Jean Fraser

A strong defense of the right to diversity in images and in sexual practices, Stolen Glances brings together the work of lesbian photographers and writers from North America and Britain to explore the representation of lesbianism.

Genres: Nonfiction, Lesbian, LGBT, Photography

252 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

beloved

[Havelock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stolen Glances is an anthology of photography and essays focusing on lesbian history. The essays and photography cover a wide range of topics; photo analysis, discussions of frequent themes used, lesbian representation in media, family albums, and discussions of racism and disability.

The book was launched alongside a photographic exhibition in the early nineties, and I wish I could find more information about it, it sounds really interesting, and god knows we need more LGBT-focused art events.

There’s more of an emphasis on essays rather than photography. While there are some chapters dedicated purely to photo series, the chapters consisting of essays are longer and more frequent, with some barely focusing on photography at all. And some of these chapters felt rather dense, assuming a prior knowledge of lesbian history.

The photography here is good, and there’s several photographers, such as Cathy Cade, Jacquai Duckworth, and Deborah Bright, that I’ll definitely be looking into, but I just wish there was more, and that it wasn’t all in black and white.

I also wish there was a wider variety of photographers. While there’s a few photo series focusing on disability and an essay about racism, the majority of the contributors are white, and the heavy focus on history there’s no mention anywhere about trans lesbians.

Still, this is an interesting read, and an important one; a reminder that gay women have always existed and always documented their lives and experiences.

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Some really interesting analysis, but rather light on the actual photography in a lot of places.

[Freyja Vanadis · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I originally bought this book 20 years ago, I bought it because I wanted to see a bunch of photographs of lesbians throughout the years. It does have some photographs, although the book definitely isn't full of them. This book is hardly even about photographs; it's mostly about lesbian history and theory. And because it's by British authors, it's written in the typical British style: it goes on and on and on and on without saying much of anything. There is one set of three photographs of a certain lesbian at different times and in different poses; the author goes on and on about what the pictures mean and why the woman dressed and posed the way she did. For heaven's sakes, is it just possible that there is no hidden meaning? That they're just pictures, nothing more and nothing less?
Definitely not recommended, except for one photo of a cute young "baby dyke", probably from the early 1980s, in San Francisco's Dykes on Bikes leaning against a motorcycle. Hot! She's the only reason I gave it two stars instead of one.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's just say, I'm really not into the politics of Gay Lesbian life and I was looking for more of an "art" book.

Most of the photography didn't impress me, but I did understand the politics behind it.

All B&W images....