March is Women’s History Month. And Marshall County’s history is full of exceptional women.
Anna Dunn was highly revered for her work as a photographer, a rarity given that during this time period, women were citizens in name only. In 1897 she bought a photography studio in Plymouth (another difficult feat given the time period), located on the second floor of the then First National Bank, today’s Plymouth City building. The Weekly Republican newspaper did an exposé on Dunn’s work in its November 6, 1902 issue. They noted, “The beauty of a photograph depends a great deal upon the tone, which should be so executed as to give it both clearness and softness. Miss Dunn secures these beautiful effects which giver her pictures roundness, warmth, and fine form. She has also paid particular attention to lighting and posing and has carried this cultivated idea (ideal) into all work.” The article concluded, “Miss Dunn’s progress in photography is a result of keeping in touch with advancements in all details.” Anna Dunn’s work was also featured in The Headlight*, then a popular sightseeing publication that described the history, life, and businesses of turn of the century Plymouth. When she died in 1907 at the age of 52, Dunn had compiled an impressive visual collection of townspeople and places. Without her skill, proficiency, and dedication in photography, so much important history would be unknown about this period of time.
