IMOGEN CUNNINGHAM

Helene Mayer, Fencer, 1935

Gelatin silver print

Museum Purchase, 1936.10

Taken here at Mills, this photograph showcases the renowned German fencer and Mills professor, Helene Mayer, as she stands with her fencing gear and stares daringly at the viewer. Imogen Cunningham was close friends with Mayer and photographed her multiple times. For Cunningham, portraits were her favorite form of photography and she captured many luminaries in her decades long career. In this particular photograph, Cunningham is highlighting the defiant nature of Mayer’s character, and the strength associated with fencing, by having her pose straight at the camera and directing her to hold her foil in a prominent position.

Born in Germany to a Jewish family, Mayer was forced to flee to the United States when Hitler rose to power, and all the fame she had previously garnered in her home country as a champion fencer was lost. This did not stop her from returning to Germany to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where she successfully won silver. Both Mayer and Cunningham defied gender stereotypes, and Cunningham is considered a pioneer in twentieth-century photography.

—Jenny Varner