Pryde Brown, an American photographer and lifelong feminist, died at her home in Ringoes, NJ, on September 29, 2024. Pryde was best known for her portrait and wedding photography; she expressed the joy she found in people through the lens of her beloved Rolleiflex. Her career began in 1970 when she purchased a photography studio in Princeton. There she honed her skills and developed a reputation for her extraordinary portraiture and black and white analogue archival printing. Her archive, including hundreds of thousands of negatives, is a testament to her talent and dedication to her art.
Born January 27, 1935 in Brooklyn, NY, Pryde grew up in Ridgewood, NJ, and graduated from Sweet Briar College in 1956. In 1957, she married John McPhee, who was to become a renowned non-fiction writer, and together they raised four daughters: Laura, Sarah, Jenny, and Martha. When her marriage to McPhee ended, she became a professional photographer and was in business for over 40 years.
Her second marriage to Dan Sullivan brought her five stepchildren and a fifth daughter, Joan. Together on their 45-acre property in Ringoes, NJ, this large blended family raised goats and chickens, tended fields of raspberries and strawberries, and became a magnet for many artists and intellectuals of the time. Pryde later placed the property in the D&R Greenway Land Trust; it is now known as “Pryde’s Point” and the land is preserved and open to hikers.
In addition to her career as a photographer, Pryde was a fierce advocate for women’s rights. She joined the National Organization for Women in the early 1970s and co-founded the group Women on Words and Images. Together, they wrote the influential Dick and Jane as Victims, a work that exposed gender biases in children’s literature and textbooks. She continued her advocacy with the publication of Channeling Children: Sex Stereotyping on Prime Time TV. Her belief in the power of education led her to mentor scores of high school students in her photography studio, helping them to identify their passions and to write about them eloquently in college application essays.
Pryde is survived by her five daughters — Laura McPhee, Sarah McPhee, Jenny McPhee, Martha McPhee, and Joan Sullivan Anane — as well as her five stepchildren and numerous grandchildren. In lieu of flowers or gifts, you may make a donation “In memory of Pryde Brown” to D&R Greenway Land Trust, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton, 08540, (609) 924-4646), or online at drgreenway.org. D&RG’s Tax ID # is 22-3035836 and NJ Charity number is CH0469400.