Laura Gilpin: Photographer of the Southwest

Laura Gilpin (1891-1979) had a long career as a professional photographer in the American Southwest. Gilpin studied photography with Gertrude Käsebier and Clarence White in New York; later, she taught at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Gilpin’s moody and atmospheric platinum prints often depicted the people and landscapes of this region. Her images serve as witness to the natural beauty and rapidly changing social realities of the Southwest in the 20th century.

Many of Laura Gilpin’s photographs seen here document the history of the Broadmoor Art Academy (BAA). The BAA began in the home of Colorado Springs philanthropists Spencer and Julie Penrose in 1919. In 1936, the BAA became the Fine Arts Center. Gilpin captured many views of the buildings and classes that nurtured and shaped this community of artists in Colorado Springs.