Josephine Powell
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Josephine Powell (May 15, 1919 – January 19, 2007) was an American photographer, traveller, and a collector of Anatolian
ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...
objects and textiles.


Education

Josephine Powell was born in New York City into a well-to-do family. Powell attended
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, where she earned a BA in 1941. She also attended the
New York School of Social Work The Columbia School of Social Work is the graduate school of social work of Columbia University in New York City. It is one of the oldest social work programs in the US, with roots extending back to 1898. It began awarding a Master of Science d ...
at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
where she received her
Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in 1945. After her graduation, Powell left the United States to start working for the International Refugee Organization (IRO).


Travels

First she worked in Tanganyika, and later in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, where she purchased two cameras at the PX: a
Leica Leica may refer to: Companies * Ernst Leitz GmbH, later divided into: ** Leica Biosystems GmbH, a cancer diagnostics company ** Leica Camera AG, a German camera and optics manufacturer ** Leica Geosystems AG, a Swiss manufacturer of surveying and ...
and a
Rolleiflex Rolleiflex is a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werke. History The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of med ...
. After, for many years, Josephine Powell was based in Rome, during this time. Initially she regarded these cameras as works of art; after two years she started taking amateur photographs and developed a talent for photography. Her curiosity to learn more about the interesting things she trained her lens on led to an unexpected career as an
architectural photographer Early architectural photographers include Roger Fenton, Francis Frith (Middle East and Britain), Samuel Bourne, Inclined Studio (India) and Albert Levy (photographer), Albert Levy (United States and Europe). They paved the way for the modern specia ...
. From 1952 to 1975, Powell travelled extensively by car, horse, alone or accompanied by her dog. In many regions, she took photographs of local
monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
s, of
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, of historical and ethnographical subjects and of museum collections. She visited and documented Afghanistan, North Africa, Greece,
Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
, India, Iran, Italy, Nepal, East and West Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. During these travels, she also collected objects that later became part of various museum collections, such as the
Wereldmuseum The Wereldmuseum Rotterdam (formerly known as the Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde) is an ethnographic museum, situated at Willemskade in Rotterdam, the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in N ...
in Rotterdam and the
Tropenmuseum The Wereldmuseum Amsterdam (previously known as Tropenmuseum () between 1950 and 2023) is an ethnographic museum with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was originally founded in Haarlem, Netherlands in 1864 under the name ''Koloniaal ...
in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her photographs would appear in more than 150 books and scientific publications. Several of her architectural photographs appear in
Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...
's landmark survey ''Architecture of the Islamic World'' and ''Islamic Art, Literature, and Culture''. Powell relocated to
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
in 1973. After getting an assignment from
Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...
for a proposed book on Turkish
kilims A kilim ( ; ; ) is a flat tapestry-weaving, woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in countries of the former Persian Empire, including Iran and Turkey, but also in the Balkans and the Turkic countries. Kilims can be purely decorative ...
, Powell immersed herself in Anatolian kilims and the people who made them. For years, she followed semi-nomadic Anatolians in her VW Caravan, documenting their daily lives, with especial attention to their manufacture of textiles. She also documented kilims and other textiles she found in villages and village mosques. She also, with Harald Böhmer, researched and studied the natural dyes used to produce the colors in antique textiles. Together, in Turkey's Aegean region, they set up the DOBAG Carpet Initiative of weavers, using natural dyes and traditional weaving techniques to produce new carpets, engaging a younger generation in the traditions of carpet weaving, and opening markets for their work. Shortly before her death in January 2007, much of her Turkish collection of textiles and artifacts was donated to the
Vehbi Koç Foundation The Vehbi Koç Foundation () is one of the biggest non-governmental charitable organizations in Turkey. It was established on January 17, 1969 by the Turkish entrepreneur and philanthropist Vehbi Koç (1901-1996). The foundation is active in the fi ...
. Tens of thousands of Powell's photographs and associated field notes were also part of her willed donation to the Koç Foundation, and now are part of
Koç University Koç University () is a private non-profit research university in Istanbul, Turkey. It started education in temporary buildings in İstinye in 1993, and moved to its current Rumelifeneri campus near Sarıyer in 2000. Koç University is ranked hi ...
's Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations. Among others, long-time friend and aide Brigitte Sommer was instrumental in helping Koç University properly digitalize Powell's collection. Powell's artifacts and textiles are now part of the
Sadberk Hanım Museum The Sadberk Hanım Museum () is a private museum on the shores of the Bosporus, Bosphorus in Büyükdere, Sarıyer, the Büyükdere neighbourhood of Sarıyer district in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established by the Vehbi Koç Foundation in memory ...
collection in Büyükdere, Istanbul. Other photographs (about 20,000) of ethnographic interest from her travels from 1951 to 1975 are at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, which she donated in 2002 to the Fine Arts Library at Harvard. Photographs attributed to Powell are also held in the Conway Library at
The Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...
whose archive, primarily of architectural images, is being digitised under the wider Courtauld Connects programme. Josephine Powell died at home in Istanbul on January 19, 2007. She was 87. She is buried in the
Feriköy Protestant Cemetery The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery (), officially called ''Evangelicorum Commune Coemeterium,'' is an international Christian cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey. As its name indicates, it is the final resting place for Protestants in Istanbul. The cemete ...
in Istanbul.


Exhibitions

* 2012: "What Josephine Saw", the opening exhibit, curated by Kimberly Hart, at Koc University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations, Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul. It included rare video of Ms. Powell in a 2006 interview by the Istanbul-based journalist Andrew Finkel on behalf of the Textile Museum in Washington.


Publications


Writings by Powell

* H. Böhmer, with J. Powell and S. Atlıhan: ''Nomads in Anatolia. Encounters with a Vanishing Culture''. Ganderkesee, Remhöb, 2008. Transl. of: ''Nomaden in Anatolien''. * G. Mandersloot, J. Powell & R. Bolland Firozkohi: ''Een Afghaans reisjournaal''. Rotterdam, Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde, 1971. No ISBN


Monographs on Powell

* K. Hart: ''What Josephine Saw. Twentieth Century Photographic Visions of Rural Anatolia''. Istanbul, Koç University Press, 2012. * J. Vos: ''Josephine Powell (1919-2007). Traveller, Photographer, Collector in the Muslim World''. Amsterdam, KIT Publishers, 2008. * K. Hart: ''Giving Back the Colours. Josephine Powell Collection''. Istanbul, Vehbi Koc Foundation and Sadberk Hanim Museum, 2007. * K. Hart: ''Josephine Powell Collection. Kilim Ornekleri: Examples from Kilims''. Istanbul, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Vehbi Koç Foundation and Sadberk Hanim Museum, 2007.


References


External links

*
Josephine Powell's photographic archive
based a
Harvard University's Fine Arts Library

Collection of ethnographic objects collected by Josephine Powell
based at th
Tropenmuseum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Josephine 1919 births 2007 deaths American women explorers American collectors Women collectors 20th-century American photographers 20th-century American explorers Cornell University alumni Columbia University School of Social Work alumni American expatriates in Tanzania American expatriates in Germany American expatriates in Italy American expatriates in Turkey