She was forced to go from Sekondi to Accra due to her marriage, and in 1955 she established Quality Art Studio in Swalaba. At that point, she was recognized as the first female professional photographer in Ghana.
In addition to her celebrity portraiture, Mrs. Abban was well-known for the way she handled and captured infants in her photos. She had a unique talent for persuading infants to grin or just strike the right posture for her camera. She was adored by parents, who all wanted her to snap pictures of their children.
Selfies
One of Mrs. Abban’s trademarks in her business was the self-portrait, according to author Amy Sall in the African Gaze book on photography and film in Africa.
She had a habit of taking her own picture before she and her husband would go to a formal function or party. Her self-portraits show a confident woman who is well-groomed, poised, and peaceful. Her hair is also exquisitely coiffed.
“These self-portraits were as much part of her creative and photographic practice as they were of her business strategy. They served as a subtle beckoning to prospective clients and an invitation to be photographed as they wanted to be seen.”
Mrs. Abban played an important role in taking on both men and women as apprentices and introducing more women to photography as a profession. She was also a resource person at several photography workshops organised by the Ghana Union of Professional Photographers (GUPP), of which she was a founder member and president from 2000 to 2005.
In a tribute to their former president, GUPP stated: “Mrs. Felicia Abban’s administration was able to achieve a lot of progress for GUPP. She was an educator who was always ready to correct our mistakes and advise us on how to do things right.”
Part of her children’s tribute said: “Throughout her life, our mother’s lens captured not just moments but narratives of resilience, beauty, and the very essence of Ghanaian existence.
“Through her groundbreaking work, she broke barriers and illuminated paths for countless women in the realm of photography. Her courage and dedication served as an inspiration not only to us, her daughters, but to generations of aspiring artists and photographers.”
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