This article examines the overlooked contributions of women in the photochemical industry, focusing on Poland’s Foton Photochemical Plant (1925–2007). As a key producer of black-and-white and colour photographic paper in the Eastern Bloc, Foton played a crucial role in supplying photographic materials for commercial, domestic and medical use. Despite their essential contributions to photographic manufacturing – spanning chemical processing, quality control and research – women’s labour has remained largely invisible in the historiography of photography. Drawing on archival research, oral histories and vernacular photographs, this study examines the working lives of women at Foton, addressing their roles, labour conditions, exposure to occupational hazards and the structural inequalities they faced. By situating their experiences within global trends in the production of photographic materials, the article challenges dominant narratives that prioritise male inventors and artistic figures over the industrial workforce. This feminist intervention highlights the service work that sustained analogue photography, advocating for a broader re-evaluation of the industry's history as analogue photography experiences a resurgence.
Katarzyna Gębarowska (Thu,) studied this question.