Pryor Dodge – YLLA: The Birth of Modern Animal Photography

Review by Gerhard Clausing •

All you have to do is watch “Gorilla Videos” on Facebook to recognize that some animals are very similar to us. And that is not really a case of anthropomorphism, which can be defined as attributing human characteristics to other creatures. But assigning animals to a lower class and denying that they are capable of many things humans are capable of, such as having emotions, being able to communicate, and more, is equivalent to disrespecting our fellow creatures.

The photographer Ylla, as she called herself when she did not like some meanings of her real first name, Camilla, had none of those hangups. She accepted animals on their own terms and enjoyed them without prejudice. Born in the early 20th century (1911), she grew up in Europe in a very tumultuous time, studied sculpting and other arts, and quickly became the pioneer photographer of animals, laying the foundation for all others that followed. We are fortunate that her godson, Pryor Dodge, edited this extensive photobook. It traces her history and her accomplishments, and shows us some of the brilliant photographs of other creatures that she was able to capture, as well as her substantial publication record, especially in regard to children’s books. Her untimely death at an oxcart race in India (1955) can also serve as a testimonial to her devotion to the well-being of animals.

“My pictures preach no message and present no scheme of world betterment … I try for simpler goals: the personalities of the animals, their expressions, their beauty.” – Ylla

Rather than depicting animals as generic entities, as had been customary for a long time, she sought to present the individuality of each of them, to show them with expressions and in stories that featured their personalities. Consider, for instance, the sequence of the chimpanzee reproduced in the images below, which shows multiple expressions. Or look at the orangutan comforting one of his or her kind. Oftentimes the context of each animal is also provided: the cat is peeking out from a secret hiding place, a duck is friends with a hippopotamus, and the elephant baby is shown sheltered by its huge parent. The images are generously printed on large pages and are a joy to behold. There is an immediacy to the pictures that allows us to study not only the group of animals to which the individual belongs, but also the animal depicted as an individual reacting to the world.

The primary visual sections of the book are divided into Animal Portraits and Animal Stories. Other sections of this photobook go into great detail on the life story and photographic and publishing adventures of Ylla. There is also a section that shows all the covers and dates of books to which she contributed, as well as those that appeared posthumously, plus other details about her life and circle of friends.

This photobook is a model presentation of a courageous person whose innovative style of presenting animals was groundbreaking and most admirable. It is a significant retrospective of a renowned contributor to the history of photography, and also generates further respect for non-humans with whom we share the planet.

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Gerhard Clausing, Editor of the PhotoBook Journal, is an author and artist from Southern California.

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Pryor Dodge – YLLA: The Birth of Modern Animal Photography

Author and Editor: Pryor Dodge

Photographer: Ylla (born Camilla Koffler 1911 in Vienna, Austria; died 1955 in India)

Texts: Maneka Gandhi, Pryor Dodge

Language: English

Design and Production: Sophie Friederich

Hardbound with illustrated cover; 240 pages, paginated; 9.75 x 11.25 inches (25 x 28.5 cm); printed and bound in Germany by Grafisches Centrum Cuno, Calde; ISBN 978-3-7774-4262-4

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Articles and photographs published in the PhotoBook Journal may not be reproduced without the permission of the PhotoBook Journal staff and the photographer(s). All images, texts, and designs are under copyright by the authors and publishers.