Marta Pļaviņa. Woman from behind, 1920s–1930s. From the collection of the Aizkraukle Museum of History and Art ©
On March 28, the long-awaited exhibition Silver Girls: Retouched History of Baltic Photography will open at the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius. This major spring event sheds light on the largely unexplored photographic heritage of women in the Baltic States during the first half of the 20th century, showcasing talented creators who shaped the region’s visual history.
Restoring History and Recognition
Arūnas Gelūnas, General Director of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, highlights the exhibition’s significance: “This is not just an artistic journey but also a restoration of historical truth. Talented female photographers, long forgotten, are finally given a voice in the contemporary context.”
The history of Baltic photography has often been told from a male perspective. However, this exhibition demonstrates that women were not merely assistants to men; they established their own studios, captured the aesthetics of their time, and contributed to the development of commercial photography.
Exhibition ‘Silver Girls. Retouched History of Photography’, 2020. Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia. Photo by Indrek Grigor ©
Exhibition ‘Silver Girls. Retouched History of Photography’, 2020, Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia. Photo by Indrek Grigor ©
Exhibition ‘Silver Girls. Retouched History of Photography’, 2020. Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia. Photo by Alexey Murashko ©
Exhibition ‘Silver Girls. Retouched History of Photography’, 2020. Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia. Photo by Indrek Grigor ©
21 Early Female Photographers: From Obscurity to Contemporary Dialogue
The exhibition presents the works of 21 female artists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, including well-known and lesser-known names such as Veronika Šleivytė, Paulina Mongirdaitė, and Zinaida Bliumentalienė from Lithuania; Lūcija Alutis-Kreicberga and Marta Pļaviņa from Latvia; and Olga Dietze and Hilja Riet from Estonia. These women not only documented everyday life but also created artistic portraits that serve as unique testimonies of their era.
Originally showcased in 2020 at the Tartu Art Museum, the exhibition in Vilnius has been expanded to include works by seven Lithuanian photographers. Curator Agnė Narušytė states: “This is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the contributions of Baltic women to the development of photography and visual culture.”
Marge Monko. Sheer Indulgence, 2021. Video still. Courtesy of artist ©
Exhibition ‘Silver Girls. Retouched History of Photography’, 2020. Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia. Photo by Alexey Murashko ©
Šelda Puķīte and Indrek Grigor. Photo by Šindrek ©
Contemporary Artists: A Bridge Between Past and Present
The exhibition is complemented by reflections from contemporary artists. Marge Monko’s video work Pure Pleasure explores the relationship between women and advertising, while Diāna Tamane’s series The Flower Smuggler draws inspiration from family photo albums. On the opening day, Goda Palekaitė’s performance Lunar Sisterhood will be transformed into an installation, conveying the mystical unity of female creativity.
Opening Events and Exhibition Duration
On March 28 at 11 a.m., a press conference with the exhibition’s curators will take place, followed by artist talks and curator-led tours on March 29–30. The exhibition will be open at the National Gallery of Art until June 15, offering a fresh perspective on the legacy of women in Baltic photography.
This project invites visitors to rethink history and restore a lost balance in photographic narratives—bringing to light the women who helped shape the visual memory of the Baltic States.
Agnė Narušytė. Photo by Ramunas Danisevicius ©
Organizer: National Gallery of Art, Lithuanian National Museum of Art
Curators: Indrek Grigor (Estonia), Agnė Narušytė (Lithuania), Šelda Puķīte (Latvia)
Architects: Kristijonas Nenartavičius, Mindaugas Reklaitis
Designer: Aleksandra Samulenkova (Latvia)
Early Estonian Photographers: Olga Dietze, Helene Fendt, Emilie Johanson, Marie Keerd, Anna Kukk, Hilja Riet, Lydia Tarem
Early Latvian Photographers: Lūcija Alutis-Kreicberga, Antonija Heniņa, Minna Kaktiņa, Emīlija Mergupe, Marta Pļaviņa, Emīlija Raguel-Lācīte, Ērika Zariņa
Early Lithuanian Photographers: Zinaida Bliumentalienė, Aleksandra Jurašaitytė, Antanina Laucienė, Paulina Mongirdaitė, Veronika Šleivytė, Domicelė Tarabildaitė-Tarabildienė, Jadvyga Vaitaitienė-Markevičiūtė
Contemporary Artists: Marge Monko (Estonia), Goda Palekaitė (Lithuania), Diāna Tamane (Latvia)
Lydia Tarem. Photo from Lydia Tarem’s album, 1933–1935. From the collection of the Estonian Museum of Photography ©
Unknown photographer. A group of women from the Women Member’s Committee of the Latvian Photographic Society during the observation of the solar eclipse, 1914. From the collection of the Latvian Museum of Photography ©
Paulina Brėdikytė. Drama Actress Ona Rymaitė in the Role of a Woman Pilot. Kaunas, 1930. From the collection of the Lithuanian Aviation Museum ©
