Portrait of the First Woman Physician in Cincinnati, Ohio

Portrait of Dr. Elmira Y. Howard [Cabinet Card]

[19th Century Women Physicians] Landy, James M.

Notes: A head-and-shoulders profile portrait of the first woman to practice medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio. This image was used for Dr. Howard's entry in A Woman of the Century (1893).

Howard (nèe Robinson?; Shelby, Ohio, 3 May 1841 – Covington, KY, 8 August 1921) attended medical school at the New York Medical College for Women. She was a 27-year-old Civil War widow with three children when she went to college. After graduation, she worked as a physician in Cincinnati for twenty-five years before moving to Palmyra, Missouri, to live with a son and daughter. She practiced medicine there, specializing in diseases of women and children, until she retired.

Original photographs of nineteenth century women doctors are not common.

Albumen silver print, 3-3/4 by 5-5/8 inches on a cardstock mount stamped in gilt at the base with Landy's name, address, and monogram. The verso of the mount references Landy's Blair Cup award in 1887 and a gold medal from the Convention of Photographers Association in 1886.

Edition + Condition: There is some spotting to the upper left corner of the print. The mount is in fine condition.

Publication: Cincinnati: Landy, [ca. 1890].

Item No: #308022

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