From a Different Angle. . . Photography by Icelandic women 1872–2013

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

The first woman to qualify as a photographer and work in that field in Iceland was Nicoline Weywadt, who opened her own studio in the East Fjords region in 1872. The exhibition thus spans a period of 140 years, with a correspondingly broad spectrum of photographic themes.
The exhibition is the fruit of two years’ research by photographer Katrín Elvarsdóttir, curator of the exhibition at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography and the National Museum of Iceland. She has selected the photographs for the exhibition on aesthetic principles. The focus is on photographs which showcase the photographer’s personal vision and creativity, while also illustrating their hard work and interest in their craft. 


The focus is on photographs which showcase the photographer’s personal vision and creativity, while also illustrating their hard work and interest in their craft. 

The photographs are presented in three categories: landscape/nature, family/home life, and portraits/social life.

The exhibition highlights the interesting contribution made by these 34 photographers to the story of photography in Iceland. The fact that all 34 are women may have contributed to the reality that many of them have hitherto not enjoyed the recognition they deserve.


The exhibition is a joint project of the National Museum of Iceland and the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, shown in two parts at both museums. Photographs in the categories “family/home life”, and “portraits/social life” are shown in the ground-floor gallery at the National Museum, while those in the” landscape/nature” category are displayed down the road at the Museum of Photography.

From a Dif­fer­ent Angle. . . Pho­to­graphy by Icelandic wo­men 1872–2013

The exhibition "From a Different Angle" presents photographic works by 34 women, all of whom have worked as photographers in Iceland – the majority professionally, a few as amateurs.

From a Different Angle. . . Photography by Icelandic women 1872–2013