Francesca Woodman (1958–1981) was an American photographer known for her haunting, sensual black and white images featuring the female body in relationship to space, architecture, and art history. Born in Denver to artists Betty and George Woodman, she grew up in a dynamic artistic milieu centered around the University of Colorado Boulder and spent significant time in Tuscany, Italy. She studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) from 1975–1978, during which she developed her signature style incorporating Victorian literature and classical art history. In 1977, she lived and worked in Rome as part of RISD’s European Honors Program, where she befriended artists and explored the counter-cultural bookshops of the city. Woodman moved to New York City's East Village in 1979, where she continued her work with diazotypes and artist's books until her death at age 23.[1,2]
