Barbara Van Cleve
Barbara Van Cleve is an American photographer born in 1935 who is best known for her pictures of life on western ranches. She grew up on the Lazy K Bar ranch near Big Timber, Montana, a family business dating back to the 1880s, making her a fifth‑generation ranch woman.
She received a Brownie camera from her parents at age 11, but originally planned to become a teacher. She earned a master’s degree in English from Northwestern University and taught Victorian literature at DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, and Mundelein College. Each summer she returned to Montana to help with the family ranch.
In 1963 she started a stock photography agency in Chicago. It grew to include more than 100 photographers and a catalog of over a million images. She sold the agency in 1980 and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to focus on her own photography.
Her breakthrough came in 1985 with a solo show at the Elaine Horwitch Gallery in Santa Fe. The show was a turning point, and since then she has had 52 solo exhibitions and 92 group exhibitions.
Van Cleve has published four books: Roughstock Sonnets (1989, with cowboy poet Paul Zarzyski), Hard Twist: Western Ranch Women (1995, with Zarzyski), Holding the Reins: A Ride through Cowgirl Life, and Pure Quill: Photographs by Barbara Van Cleve (2016). She splits her time between Santa Fe in winter and the Lazy K Bar ranch in Big Timber, Montana, in summer.
Awards
- National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, 1995
- New Mexico/Arizona Book Co-Op Best Book (Adult Division) and Best Art Book for Pure Quill, 2016
- Western Heritage Award for Best Photography Book for Pure Quill, 2017
- Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, 2025 Class
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 20:11 (CET).