Ruth Bernhard
American, 1905-2006
In the Box - Horizontal, 1962
Gelatin silver print
25 x 36 in
2009.11
Gift of the Estate of Ruth Bernhard
Collection of the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University
http://museum.marquette.edu/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=6323&viewType=detailView

Identity is not just something we are; it is something we create and perform. Now more than ever we carefully curate our identities, both in person and especially online. Identifying yourself as a fan, either verbally or through visual markers such as clothing or other accessories, can imply a way of thinking about engaging with the world at large and may affect how the fan is perceived by others. While some fandoms are closed communities, meaning markers of fan identities might go unobserved or unrecognized by individuals outside of that fandom, others are quite public, meaning the fan may be judged using perceptions of the fanbase as a whole. Large, public fandoms allow fans to create an easily recognizable identity with little effort, while smaller, closed fandoms allow fans to safely try on and experiment with various identities that they may not be comfortable outwardly performing in their everyday lives.

Photographer Ruth Bernhard moved from Germany to New York City in 1927, where she was heavily involved in the lesbian subculture of the artistic community. She is best known for black and white photographs of nude women, where she focuses on minimalism and, in her words, “the little things that nobody observes, that nobody thinks are of any value.”