SONYA NOSKOWIAK (1900-1975) First United Methodist Church, Eureka, CA. Silver print, the image measuring 9½x7½ inches (24.1x19.1 cm.), with Noskowiak's credit stamp on verso. Circa 1940
Provenance: The Collection of Dr. James and Debra Pearl
German-born photographer, Noskowiak spent her upbringing in Chile and Panama before moving to California. She made a reputation for herself, as a member of Group f-64 at its foundation, with her early work that focused on abstractions of nature and architecture. However, her breakup with Edward Weston in 1935 marked a turning point in her career. She left Carmel for San Francisco where she opened a portrait studio on Union Street and pursued documentary photography, with a strong interest in lighting, angles, and planes of architectural structures.
While Noskowiak ceased making fine artwork in the mid-1940s, she continued working in commercial photography through the early 1960s. It is believed that she didn't make more than a handful of prints from a single negative because there weren't enough sales to justify it. Most of her photographs are held in private collections.
