Karimeh Abbud

Karimeh Abbud (Arabic: كريمة عبّود‎), also known as the "Lady Photographer", was a Palestinian professional photographer and artist who lived and worked in Lebanon and Palestine in the first half of the twentieth century.

Early life

In 1896, the year she was born, her father As'ad Abbud, was serving as a lay pastor in Shefa-'Amr. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Lutheran church, and the family moved with him as he took up a new post as a pastor in Beit Jala (1899-1905) and then Bethlehem, where he was later appointed the parish priest. Karimeh grew up spending time in all of these towns, while also attending the Schmidt Girls School in Jerusalem.

Beginnings in photography

It was in Bethlehem in 1913 that she first began to take an interest in photography, after receiving a camera from her father as a gift for her 17th birthday. Her first photos are of family, friends and the landscape in Bethlehem and her first signed picture is dated October 1919.

Karimeh studied Arabic literature at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. During this time, she took a trip to Baalbek to photograph archaeological sites there. She set up a home studio, earning money by taking photos of women and children, weddings and other ceremonies. She also took numerous photos of public spaces in Haifa, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Tiberias.