The Photo Heritage of Eddie Ross Cobb and Daphne Cobb: Unbending Courage and Creativity

 

On Sunday, September 20, 2020, photographer and author Sueki (Susan) Woodward, presented a biography of Eddie Ross Cobb’s life and photographic journey in New Mexico from 1891 to 1940. Eddie Ross Cobb, was the great grandmother, of the program presenter, Sueki Woodward. Her e-book “Eddie Ross Cobb: Unbending Courage and Creativity” tells her powerful story along with many photographs never seen before from Susan Woodward’s family collection of text, prints, cabinet cards, 100 glass negatives and 50 plastic negatives. The presentation includes highlights from this book, her life and a few short videos.

In 1891, Eddie Ross married Will Cobb, and then together, they successfully operated a commercial photography studio called Cobb Studio in Albuquerque for 20 years. They had four children during this period. After Will’s death in 1909, she continued for another 20 years as the primary owner for a total of 40+ years in business. She pressed through the death of her mother, father, and husband after 20 years of marriage. Finally, her greatest tragedy was the loss of her youngest daughter Daphne, a budding photographer to tuberculosis when Daphne was 30 years old. Eddie continued to courageously run her own commercial photography business through all of these life circumstances until 1940.

According to the presenter: “As I explored her history, I can relate to her passion for photography, regardless of her life’s tragedies. Photography has sustained me through ups and downs in my life, just as it did for Eddie. Her story validates my path that is interwoven into my legacy and DNA.”

Photo of Sueki WoodwardSueki Woodward, is a Fine Art Photographer whose photography has nourished her soul and has been an important force throughout her life. In the last 20 years, she has taken photos in Oregon, Northern California, New Mexico, Oaxaca, and Lake Chapala, Mexico, as well as Austin, Texas.

Sueki is an accomplished and enthusiastic educator with a passionate commitment to student learning. She has taught thousands of people to use various versions of Adobe Photoshop and worked for Adobe the first week Photoshop was released. She has over 20 years of experience in the teaching profession including on-line College, Community College, Universities, Secondary Schools, Professional Workshops, and distance learning over the internet plus 8 years of a life-changing experience at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshop.

Sueki has a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Arts from San Francisco State. During the Pandemic, she used the lock-down to work on Eddie Cobb’s book and developed a commercial website for reproductions of Cobb’s photos at cobbstudio-photographynewmexico.com.

Photos of Daphne M. Cobb
Daphne M. Cobb