Georgina Masson (1912–1980) was a British author and photographer. Born Marion Johnson, and known as Babs to her friends, Georgina Masson is her literary pseudonym. Johnson was born in Rawalpindi,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, on 23 March 1912. She was the daughter of an officer stationed in India at the time. She died in 1980 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Early life

Details of Masson's early life are somewhat sketchy though it is known that she caught the travelling bug early spending time in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

she worked at the Foreign Office in

and at the Ministry of Information. Her work in the Foreign Office took her to Italy where she continued to live until 1978.

Legacy

Georgina Masson was a photographer and an architectural historian whose interests took in

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

through to the medieval period in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. Her writings are extensive and her works include studies of gardens and villas and biographies as well as

Roman Architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome ...

and later

Italian Architecture Italy has a very broad and diverse architectural style, which cannot be simply classified by period or region, due to Italy's division into various small states until 1861. This has created a highly diverse and eclectic range in architectural des ...

. Her work as a photographer, which went hand in hand with her architectural interests, was brought to the fore following her death. Around 5,000 negatives were bequeathed by her to

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

. Although the majority of her images are of architecture and gardens and the city of Rome, the collection also includes observations of everyday life. A selection of her photographic works featured in an exhibition 'Author and Eye' in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in April 2003 at the American Academy. The catalogue of the exhibition was entitled 'Georgina Masson 1912-1980'. Photographs attributed to Georgina Masson can also be found in the

Conway Library The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist c ...

at the

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist coll ...

. This collection focuses on Ecclesiastical and Secular Architecture through different historical periods and across continents.

Bibliography

A selection of her published works includes: * ''Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. A Life.'' (Secker & Warburg, London 1957) * ''Italian Villas and Palaces'', ' The World of Art Library' series. (Thames & Hudson, London 1959) * ''Italian Gardens'', 'The World of Art Library' series. (Thames & Hudson, London 1961) * ''The Companion Guide to Rome.'' (Collins, London 1965) * ''Queen Christina.'' (Secker Warburg, London 1968) * ''Courtesans of the Italian Renaissance.'' (Secker Warburg, London 1975)

References

External links

Artbook.com
1912 births 1980 deaths British writers British women writers 20th-century British photographers British women photographers 20th-century women photographers British people in colonial India {{UK-photographer-stub