Ruth Wilhelmi-König (1904 – 1977) was a German woman stage photographer.
Life
Born in Berlin, Wilhelmi was born as the daughter of a journalist. After an apprenticeship with a Berlin photographer, Wilhelmi founded her own studio in 1926, first with a focus on portrait and fashion photography, and since the early 1930s also with theatre photography. She mainly worked in Berlin, where she documented several
Bert Brecht productions. One of her students was Margrit Schmidt. In 1937, she passed the examination for the master craftsman's diploma and afterwards became in-house photographer of the Staatliche Bühnen. In 1943, her studio was destroyed during an air raid. After 1945, she worked again as a theatre photographer until 1972.
After her death in Berlin, the
Deutsches Theatermuseum
The Deutsche Theatermuseum in Munich is a museum focused on history of the theater, and primarily devoted to the German-speaking theater history. It has its headquarters in the ''Churfürstlichen Gallerie'' (Electoral Gallery), built in 1780–17 ...
in Munich acquired her archive in 1981. Parts of her work can also be found in the archive of the
Academy of Arts, Berlin.
She was married to the Berlin Senator for Economics
Karl König
Karl König (25 September 1902 – 27 March 1966) was an Austrian paediatrician who founded the Camphill Movement, an international movement of therapeutic intentional communities for those with special needs or disabilities.
Biography
König ...
.
Further reading
*
Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
,
Berliner Ensemble (ed.): ''Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder. Szenenfotos der Aufführungen des Deutschen Theaters, des Berliner Ensemble und der Münchener Kammerspiele von Ruth Berlau, Hainer Hill und Ruth Wilhelmi.'' (''Modellbücher des Berliner Ensemble.'' Vol. 3) Berlin 1958.
* Claudia Balk, Babette Angelaeas: ''Theaterfotografie. Eine Darstellung ihrer Geschichte anhand der Sammlung des Deutschen Theatermuseums (Exhibition of the German Theatre Museum from 8 December 1989 to 5 March 1990).'' Munich 1989, .
* Michael Matzigkeit, Winrich Meiszies: ''Katalog "Gustaf Gründgens: Ansichten eines Schauspielers. Bilder einer Legende."''
''Gustaf Gründgens - Ansichten eines Schauspielers : Bilder einer Legende''
on WorldCat Düsseldorf 1999, .
Book participations
* : ''Das Gewissen entscheidet Bereiche d. dt. Widerstandes von 1933 - 1945 in Lebensbildern'', Fotographische Mitarbeit: Ruth Wilhelmi
* ''Theater in Berlin 1951-1961''. Zehn Jahre Schiller Theater, Schloßpark-Theater, Schiller-Theater Werkstatt. Mit 252 Abbildungen. (photos Ruth Wilhelmi and al.)
* Georg Zivier
Georg Zivier (13 February 1897 – 19 March 1974) was a German writer, theatre critic and journalist.
Life
Born in Wrocław, Zivier was the son of the historian and writer . After studying in Greifswald and Berlin, he worked as a writer and jou ...
: '' Ernst Deutsch und das deutsche Theater'', Haude & Spenersche Vlgsbuchhdlg. 1964 (Mit 99 Abb. nach Aufnahmen Ruth Wilhelmi among others)
* Alfred Mühr: ''Großes Theater, Begegnungen mit Gustaf Gründgens
Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg ...
'', Oswald Arnold Verlag, Berlin 1950 (Aufnahmen among others Ruth Wilhelmi)
* Richard Biedrzynski: ''Schauspieler – Regisseure – Intendanten'' (among 27 portraits and scene photos by Ruth Wilhelmi)
* Bertolt Brecht: ''Couragemodell 1949. Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder
''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...
'', Henschel (1958), with pictures by Ruth Berlau
Ruth Berlau (24 August 1906, Charlottenlund – 15 January 1974, East Berlin) was a Danish actress, director, photographer and writer, known for her collaboration with Bertolt Brecht and for founding the Bertolt-Brecht-Archiv
in Berlin.
Born t ...
, Hainer Hill and Ruth Wilhelmi
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilhelmi, Ruth
German photographers
20th-century photographers
German women photographers
1904 births
1977 deaths
Photographers from Berlin