Photographer Donna Gottschalk was active in the early lesbian, trans and gay rights movements and her portraits are simply beautiful
This beautiful collection of Donna Gottschalk’s exhibition of tender portraits of queer life, supported by texts by Hélène Giannecchini is currently on display at The Photographer’s Gallery in London.
The pair – an American photographer and a French writer – met for the first time in January 2023, and despite a 40-year age difference, formed an immediate bond via shared stories and archives.
Photographer Gottschalk was born in 1949 and grew up in the tenements of New York, spending much of her time on the streets. Active in the early lesbian, trans and gay rights movements, her photographs show the daily lives of her chosen family – friends, lovers, siblings and fellow activists.
All in all, these are beautifully realised portraits of people living on the margins of society – and they’re especially poignant when you consider both the facts that gay relationships were illegal at the time in the US, and the current erosion of the rights of many similarly marginalised groups.
We Others: Donna Gottschalk and Hélène Giannecchini is on display at The Photographers’ Gallery until 7 June 2026. The ticket price of £10 includes entry to all exhibitions at the gallery, including the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. A book of the same name is also available,
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