Collection Online as of December 2, 2023
Greco Shoes
Ilse Bing
(American, 1899–1998)
Gelatin silver print
Gift of George Stephanopoulos 2014.527
© Estate of Ilse Bing
Location
not on view
Description
Ilse Bing’s assignment from a Frankfurt newspaper to cover the couture ball in Paris led to commissions from designers and fashion magazines, including French Vogue. In November 1933 she began doing all the Paris accessory shoots for the American magazine Harper’s Bazaar. Although the Leica was associated with candid photography, she used it in the studio to create staged still lifes of shoes, jewelry, handbags, and belts, and occasionally views of shoes on a model’s feet. Accustomed to using available light, Bing had to master artificial lighting. Preferring a natural look, she avoided bright spots and deep shadows in favor of gently modeled highlights that emphasized the objects’ sculptural shapes while revealing their polished surfaces.
Ilse Bing
Ilse Bing (American, b. Germany, 1899-1998). Ilse Bing became interested in photography while pursuing a doctoral degree in art history at Frankfurt University. Around 1927-28 she began taking photographs to illustrate her dissertation and in 1930 decided to move to Paris to look for freelance assignments. Using the new 35mm Leica camera, she worked as a fashion, portrait, and architectural photographer, as well as a photojournalist. During her years in Paris she took part in numerous exhibitions, including the Museum of Modern Art's Photography 1839-1937 show in New York. In 1941 Bing and her husband immigrated to the United States, settling in New York City. In New York she began to work on a different scale, using the larger-format Rolleiflex camera as well as electronic flash. By 1957 she was working exclusively in color. Two years later Bing gave up photography to concentrate on painting and poetry.