Ruth Bernhard

Ruth Bernhard

1905-2006

About

Ruth Bernhard was born in Berlin. Her father was the acclaimed graphic designer Lucian Bernhard. Bernhard attended the Berlin Academy of Art for two years, then decided to move to New York in 1927. In 1929, her first job was as a darkroom assistant to Ralph Steiner, head of the photography department for Delineator magazine. She only worked with Steiner for a short time; she was fired for blatant disinterest in the work. With her last paycheck she bought her own 8×10 camera and photography equipment and began freelance photography.

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Bernhard befriended the likes of Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange and Wynn Bullock. She briefly served in the Women’s Land Army during World War II in 1943. Bernhard moved to San Francisco in 1953 where she continued her nude studies, but also began to teach at the Utah State University, the University of California Extension, Berkley, San Francisco and master photography workshops. Ruth Bernhard’s photography is represented in numerous prestigious collections and her work has been exhibited around the world.