03 - Ruth Bernhard, Halibut Point, Rockport Massachusetts

Ruth Bernhard
German/American, 1905–2006

Halibut Point, Rockport, Massachusetts
1947
Gelatin silver print
Museum Permanent Collection, NEHMA
2019.7

 

---

Ruth Bernhard was a German-born American photographer.  She is most well known for her studio-based work of nudes and still lifes.  She has a gift for depicting commonplace objects as precious ornaments.  In this rare landscape of Halibut Point in Massachusetts, you can see her connection to her contemporaries who used specific exposure techniques to create rich shadows and detailed highlights.  

Ruth's career spanned more than 70 years, she lived a long and influential life passing at the age of 101. She once wrote a recipe for a long and happy life which she shared with her friends, family, and colleagues it reads: Never get used to anything, hold on to the child in you, keep your curiosity alive, trust your intuition, delight in simple things, say yes to life with passion, fall madly in love with the world, remember today is the day.