Ruth Bernhard Archive, Princeton University Art Museum. © Trustees of Princeton University
On view
Cross-Collections Gallery
Pins,
1931
Ruth Bernhard, 1905–2006; born Berlin, Germany; died San Francisco, CA
2008-397
Bernhard’s still lifes reveal a fascination with the everyday. According to the artist, “Looking at everything as if for the first time reveals the commonplace to be utterly incredible.” This sense of wonder may also have been a reaction to changing societal conditions, for these 1930s photographs of industrially produced commodities—whether straws, pins, or Life Savers—picture a world increasingly overtaken by stuff. Characterized by patterning and repetition, Bernhard’s arrangements seem to emerge from the seriality of mass production. Her formal play with light and shadow suggests a phantasmagoric ballet of the assembly line.
Information
Title
Pins
Dates
1931
Maker
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
49 × 39 cm (19 5/16 × 15 3/8 in.)
mount: 55.8 x 71.1 cm. (21 15/16 x 28 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Ruth Bernhard
Object Number
2008-397
Place Made
North America, United States
Signatures
Signed on mount lower right below image
Signed in graphite, verso
Inscription
In graphite, verso: Pins / 1931 / Ruth Bernhard
Marks/Labels/Seals
Stamped: © Ruth Bernhard / All Rights Reserved
Culture
Techniques
Subject
The artist; bequeathed to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2008.
