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Ruth Bernhard Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Ruth Bernhard was a German-born American photographer best known for her complex black-and-white still lifes and classical photographs of the female nude. Born in Berlin in 1905, Bernhard followed her father, the graphic designer Lucian Bernhard, to New York City in 1927, after two years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. In New York, Bernhard photographed commercially and independently, while becoming heavily involved with the lesbian subculture of the city's art community. Lifesavers, her first published still life photograph, appeared in Advertising Arts in January, 1931. During her early years in New York, Bernhard also briefly worked for Ralph Steiner at The Delineator magazine and produced the photography for Machine Art, the first exhibition catalog published by the Museum of Modern Art, in 1934. As Bernhard recounts in her memoirs, what would become a life-long study of the female nude began during the shoot for this catalog, when Bernhard asked a friend to pose nude inside of a large industrial stainless steel bowl to make the shot more interesting.
Bernhard met the photographer Edward Weston on a trip to California in 1935, an event which became a major catalyst for her career. Her first solo show was held at the Jake Zeitlin Gallery in Los Angeles in 1936, after which time she frequently traveled between New York, California, and other locations to shoot, including Florida, where she worked with conchologist Jean Schwengel to photograph seashells. After working for the Women's Land Army on a New Jersey farm in support of the war effort in the early 1940s, Bernhard moved to Carmel, California in 1944, and later to San Francisco in 1953, where she became associated with the Modernist West Coast photographers of Group f/64, including Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Minor White, and her mentor, Edward Weston.
Working from her San Francisco studio in the 1950s and 1960s, Bernhard produced many of her most iconic images of the female nude, including Classic Torso (1952), In the Box, Horizontal (1962), and Two Forms (1963), which were later included in The Eternal Body, her first photographic monograph of nudes, published in 1986. Bernhard gained widespread recognition as an artist beginning in the 1970s, after her work was included in two major exhibitions, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Women in Photography: A Historical Survey in 1975, and Recollections: Ten Women of Photography, which opened at the International Center of Photography in New York in 1979.
Just as she was coming into her fame, a near-fatal carbon monoxide poisoning incident in the mid-1970s left Bernhard unable to continue taking photographs. She made her last exposure in 1976, of a crushed teapot, though afterwards she continued to produce and sell prints of her earlier work with the help of printers Michael Kenna and Saïd Nuseibeh.
After the incident, teaching became Bernhard's primary activity, and she developed a loyal following of students drawn to her attention to vision and light. Beginning in 1961, Bernhard offered classes privately, as well as for the University of California Extension program, the Ansel Adams workshops in Yosemite, and the John Sexton workshops in Carmel, eventually becoming a highly respected instructor in the photographic medium and offering master classes internationally. Bernhard died in San Francisco in 2006 at age 101.
This collection documents over seventy years of Ruth Bernhard's life, from her start as a serious photographer in the 1930s, at a time when photography was gaining status as a fine art form, until her death in 2006 at age 101, by which time she was internationally well-known both for her contributions to the field of photography and for her long and successful teaching career. Though some photographs from her early life in Germany are present, as well as occasional materials from her early career, such as photocopies of correspondence with her mentor, Edward Weston, the majority of materials in the collection pertain to Bernhard's activities from the 1960s through the early 2000s.
The papers contain a wide array of materials relevant to Bernhard's personal and professional life, including personal and business correspondence and papers related to her career as a professional photographer and teacher of photography, a small amount of photographic work, some manuscripts and proofs for her published and unpublished books and portfolios, publicity materials, exhibition and auction catalogs and brochures, photography props, teaching materials and hand-outs, appointment books, and a large collection of memorabilia, including snapshots of Bernhard, collected fine art photographs and artwork by others, photograph albums, gifts, personal effects, and awards. Occasional audio and visual materials are also present, including slides, cassette tapes, and VHS tapes documenting various events, awards ceremonies, interviews, and lectures, as well as some kept for personal interest.
Absent from the papers are Bernhard's silver gelatin prints and original negatives, which are held by the Princeton University Art Museum. It should also be noted that Bernhard disposed of many of her 8 x 10" negatives, especially her commercial work, when she stopped photographing in 1976, resulting in the lack of materials related to much of her commercial photography in the papers.
Item description was provided by the Princeton University Art Museum. Though this legacy description deviates substantially from standard archival description practices, it was retained in order to avoid the loss of potentially valuable information. Researchers should keep this in mind when using this description to navigate the collection, referring to series and subseries-level description for a broader summary of contents. It should also be noted that throughout this item description, "Ruth Bernhard" has often been abbreviated as "RB."
The collection is arranged into five major series, with additional subdivisions. Though individual items were often described at the item-level by Art Museum staff, they were not physically or intellectually arranged to the same level of detail. While this legacy description was retained, researchers should note that additional arrangement has not generally been implemented below the series or subseries level.
Transferred from the Princeton University Art Museum in 2013 (AM 2014-62). An additional interview with Ruth Bernhard received by the Princeton University Art Museum was transferred in 2016 (AM 2017-20).
This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in January - February, 2014. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in February - March, 2014, using item description provided by Emily McVeigh of the Princeton University Art Museum in 2013. Finding aid updated by Kelly Bolding in 2016
Nothing was discarded or transferred in the processing of this collection.
Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Kelly Bolding
- Finding Aid Date
- 2014
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. Copyright and literary rights for materials in this collection that were created by Ruth Bernhard are held by the Trustees of Princeton University.
Collection Inventory
This series is arranged into three subseries.
This series includes three distinct file runs of correspondence and other personal papers and business files, distinguished by their creator and level of organization. The first run contains vertical files kept by Ruth Bernhard, sorted by topic. The second contains artificial files by and about Bernhard, organized chronologically by topic and maintained by the Princeton University Art Museum, including original correspondence as well as correspondence between museum staff and various parties, along with articles by and about Bernhard, exhibition catalogs, workshop materials and advertisements, reproductions of photographs, publishing agreements, and more. The third contains unsorted correspondence and enclosures that Bernhard kept loose in boxes.
These files include a diverse mix of personal and business correspondence and other documents, ranging from birthday cards to living wills to publishing contracts. Bernhard maintained close friendships with many of her business contacts, students, and colleagues, resulting in the frequent presence of correspondence of a mixed nature within this series. Researchers should note that Subseries 1A and 1C contain a mix of personal and business files and correspondence, while Subseries 1B provides a more linear picture of Bernhard's professional career.
Physical Description23 boxes
Original order was preserved.
This subseries consists of a file run kept by Ruth Bernhard, primarily including business correspondence related to publishing, permissions, print sales, workshops, teaching engagements, video appearances, interviews, exhibitions, and the sale of her photographic archive, along with some personal correspondence, such as fan mail and birthday cards, as well as occasional snapshots, address books, and articles where Bernhard's work was featured or reviewed.
Of note is a planner, included at the end of the subseries, used to document the chronology of Bernhard's major publications, exhibitions, and awards throughout her career. Also of note are a draft of Margaretta Mitchell's biography, Ruth Bernhard: Between Art and Life, submitted to Bernhard for edits prior to publication of the book in 2000, as well as a draft for Bernhard's 1960s unpublished book project, The Eye Beyond.
Though their original order does not follow any strict arrangement scheme, papers are generally sorted by subject. When no original folder label was present, a title was supplied based on the folder's contents.
Physical Description7 boxes
1 folder
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3 folders
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Bernhard's "Larry Doll" is included in Series 3.
Physical Description1 folder
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3 folders
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Includes sleeved slides removed from blue binder.
Physical Description1 folder
4 folders
1 folder
Includes Ed Weston's photograph of Ruth Bernhard.
Physical Description2 folders
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9 folders
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1 folder
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2 folders
1 folder
Files are generally arranged by topic, then chronologically. Correspondence is arranged by type, then alphabetically by name of correspondent.
This subseries contains files by and about Ruth Bernhard, organized and maintained by the Princeton University Art Museum until their transfer in 2013. These files contain sorted original correspondence, both business and personal, as well as agreements, publicity materials, and other documents related to Bernhard's exhibitions, publications, appearances, workshops, and auctions, organized chronologically within each category. Materials cover most of Bernhard's career, from her early professional work for the Museum of Modern Art's Machine Art catalog in 1934 through the late 1990s.
In addition to personal and professional correspondence, including with other known photographers, this subseries also contains nearly complete chronological runs of exhibition announcements, auction catalogs, articles about Bernhard, and publications and essays by Bernhard. Sizable runs of workshop announcements, brochures, class materials, and student essays are also included.
Due to the artificial nature of these files, correspondence between the Princeton University Art Museum and other parties related to specific subject files on Bernhard are often filed alongside original materials. Also included are files documenting the transfer of Bernhard's archive to the Princeton University Art Museum in 1996, plans for an accompanying exhibition of her work at Princeton in the same year, as well as correspondence with the executors of her estate concerning the archive after Bernhard's death in 2006.
Of note is the complete unpublished manuscript for The Eye Beyond, a book project Bernhard conceived of in the 1960s, based on the idea of the camera as a tool of self-exploration. Though the book never came to fruition in print form, its main concepts were recycled in many of Bernhard's later workshops.
Physical Description11 boxes
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4 folders
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29 folders
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Consists of an original audio cassette tape recording and two CDs made from it, along with a photograph of Ruth Bernhard and a letter from Wrausmann's sister, Jeanne Ebanks, to Princeton University Art Museum staff. The interview took place in September, 1989.
Physical Description1 box
Materials in this subseries are not arranged according to any arrangement scheme. Though legacy item description provided by the Princeton University Art Museum exists for many individual items in this subseries, the materials remain physically unsorted below the box or folder level.
This subseries includes unsorted correspondence, along with any related enclosures such as magazine clippings, articles, pamphlets, and snapshots that Bernhard kept loose in boxes. Most correspondence in this series is of a personal nature, including many birthday and holiday cards, thank-you cards, and postcards from friends, students, and fans, along with unsolicited commercial mailings, including brochures, magazines, catalogs, and other mass mailings from various arts and cultural organizations. Also present are drafts and duplicate copies of Bernhard's "Dear Friends" form letters, which she often mailed out to fans and students after gaining widespread recognition in her later life, as well as accompanying print-outs with inspirational quotes, lists, and manifestos.
Physical Description6 boxes
1 folder
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folder
1 folderSnapshot
1 folder
1 folderPhotograph
1 folder
1 folderMail
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderSnapshot
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1 folderPhotograph
1 folderSnapshot
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1 folderMail
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1 folderMail
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1 folderPhotograph
1 folderMail
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1 folderSnapshot
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1 folder
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folder
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderSnapshot
1 folderPress
1 folderSnapshot
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folderPress
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderSnapshot
1 folder
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folder
1 folderPress
1 folderPress
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderSnapshot
1 folderMail
1 folder
1 folder
1 folderMail
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderMail
1 folderSnapshot
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderSnapshot
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderMail
1 folderSlides
1 folder
1 folderSnapshot
1 folderMail
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderMail
1 folder
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1 folderPhotograph
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderPhotograph
1 folderSnapshot
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderMail
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderPress
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1 folderMail
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1 folderPhotograph
1 folderMail
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderOther art
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1 folderOther art
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1 folderOther art
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10 foldersMail
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderOther art
1 folderOther art
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1 folderOther art
1 folderOther art
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1 folderSlides
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderMail
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1 folderPhotograph
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1 folderOther art
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4 folders
1 folder
6 folders
5 folders
9 folders
4 folders
Materials are grouped by format.
This series includes any photographic work and publications produced by Ruth Bernhard that are included with the papers, as well as publicity materials related to her activities as a professional photographer. This series documents the appearance of Bernhard's photographs in her own portfolios and monographs, as well as in major publications, advertisements, and exhibitions, with a single image often appearing and reappearing in these various contexts throughout its lifespan. Some items, such as her publicity folios, provide both evidence of her photographic work in print, as well as her efforts to promote and publicize it. Due to this overlap, and to the fact that Bernhard often stored these materials together, this series includes both works and publicity in order to preserve context.
Photographic work includes a few small reproduced prints of several of Bernhard's photographs, two copies of her Portfolio One: Nudes (1968), an artists proof and mock-up for The Gift of the Commonplace (1996), and a copy of the first galleys for Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body (1994). Also included are duplicate portfolio folders for The Eternal Body (1976), The Gift of the Commonplace (1976), and Ten Photographs: 1930-1976 (1982).
Additionally present are posters, postcards, invitations, brochures, and other publicity materials advertising exhibitions, gallery shows, publications, and events showcasing Bernhard's photography. Several large publicity folios, organized chronologically, contain clippings from newspapers, magazines, and other media referencing Bernhard and her photography from the early 1930s until the mid-1990s. A group of video tapes (VHS and 3/4 formats) with recordings of interviews, events, and awards ceremonies related to Bernhard's work as a photographer is also included.
Researchers should note that Bernhard's original silver gelatin prints and negatives are held by the Princeton University Art Museum. It should also be noted that Bernhard quit taking photographs in 1976 due to loss of concentration after her carbon monoxide poisoning accident. At this time, she also threw out many of her 8 x 10" negatives, especially her commercial work, which accounts for the absence of these materials in the papers.
Physical Description13 boxes
Prints were removed from a folder labeled "pix from slides."
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Includes an original gelatin silver print of Skull and Rosary (1945).
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One copy is signed.
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1 box3/4 Video Tape
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1 boxCD-ROM
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Materials are grouped by format.
This series primarily contains props and objects used by Ruth Bernhard for still life photography and teaching, along with some print and audio and visual materials related to her activities as a photography instructor. Some objects, such as the cow skull with embedded rosary pictured in Skull and Rosary (1945) and the Venus murex shell pictured in Venus Comb (1943) can be attributed to specific photographs. Others exemplify the sorts of props Bernhard often photographed and used in student instruction, including doll pieces, animal bones, various seed pods and other plant materials, found objects, and modern decor and kitchen equipment. Insight into Bernhard's use of these objects can be found in pages 87-90 of the draft of Ruth Bernhard: Between Art and Life, a biography written by Margaretta Mitchell in conjunction with the artist (See Box 7, Folder 8-9).
Encouraged by Minor White and other photographer friends, Ruth Bernhard began teaching photography classes in 1961, offering courses and print evaluation sessions from her home studio and later leading popular workshops on the photography of the nude around the country and internationally, including workshops held by Ansel Adams, John Sexton, and the University of California Extension Program. In her later life, after the 1976 poisoning accident left her unable to continue working as a photographer, teaching and lecturing superseded photography as Bernhard's primary activity and means of income.
Also present are some papers related to Bernhard's teaching activities, including essays on the teaching of art by Bernhard and others, hand-outs, inspirational quotes, paper signs for props, student essays, questionnaires, and assignments, as well as some publicity materials specifically related to workshops, including a group related to the John Sexton Photography Workshops in the 1990s. A small amount of slides used in teaching are included, as well as some cassette tapes and video tapes (VHS and 3/4 formats) documenting various lectures, workshops, and interviews related to teaching. Other teaching-related papers, filed by Ruth Bernhard and the Princeton University Art Museum can be found in Subseries 1A and 1B, respectively.
Some of the more fragile objects present in this series are wrapped in layers of tissue paper, archival polyester batting, and bubble wrap. Some small plaster pieces, bones, and other natural materials are also housed in compartments within artifact trays. Researchers are asked to take care when returning these materials to their boxes to preserve this arrangement.
Physical Description17 boxes
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1 box3/4 Video Tape
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Note on tape box says: "Part of the Sexton segment, about 1/3 of the way in devoted to Ruth Bernhard. Her teaching, commenting on her pictures."
Physical Description1 boxVHS Tape
Note on tape says: "don't stop after 1st tape...there's more".
Physical Description1 boxVHS Tape
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Original props used in Skull and Rosary (1945). In Bernhard's memoir, she writes that she found the skull during her days as a farmhand on the Pitney Farm in Mendham, New Jersey in 1942.
Physical Description1 boxProps
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Includes two Venus comb murex shells, likely from Sanibel Island, Florida, used in photographing Venus Comb (1943).
Physical Description1 boxProps
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A folder of loose white feathers is also included.
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This poster was used as a backdrop for Bernhard's 1976 photograph, Teapot.
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This series is arranged chronologically.
This series includes Ruth Bernhard's appointment books and calendars from the early 1970s through the rest of her life, documenting both personal and professional activities and travels. In earlier years, most entries appear in Bernhard's handwriting, documenting her class schedule and frequent one-on-one appointments with students, along with other engagements, including interviews, doctor appointments, and dates with retired Air Force Colonel Price Rice, Bernhard's long-term companion from 1967 until his death in 1999.
Beginning in the 1990s, entries in several different handwriting styles are present, after Bernhard's personal assistant, Mary Ann Helmholtz, and others began to take a larger roll in assisting Bernhard with her activities. While Bernhard's entries often consist only of a first name and appointment time, occasional notes include more detailed information, such as phone numbers and addresses. Bernhard also used her planners to keep track of the schedules of her printers, Michael Kenna and Saïd Nuseibeh, as well as events related to their own photographic work.
Physical Description3 boxes
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