Fast Fact Friday: Who was Maria Tesch?

I learned that Ms. Tesch was a pioneering and prolific Swedish photographer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her work and equipment can still be seen in Swedish museums today. Impressive enough. But there's more. She got her start in business in 1873 at the age of 23 when she left her hometown of Eksjo, Sweden, and moved to Linkoping TO OPEN HER OWN PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO. A 23-year-old woman. In 1873. When photography as a profession was still relatively new. She had been working as a photographer since she was 16 (1866!). It's estimated that she took tens of thousands of portraits. She also invested in real estate and was suspected to be quite wealthy. She died a millionaire, leaving her wealth to various charities. 

One thing I noticed about her photos was that while most people in early photographs look quite grim, her subjects do not. It turns out that she had a special technique. Before she took their photograph she would tell her subjects to “look happy – think of those who will see it," which made them smile. Much more effective than, "Say 'Cheese!' "don't you think?