First published 2000
Ruth Orkin clutches her camera as she walks through Greenwich Village, torn between her passion for photography and the expectations placed on women in 1950s America. She has already made her mark capturing street scenes and celebrities, but now faces new challenges as she balances her artistic ambitions with marriage and motherhood. Her husband Morris wants a traditional wife, while Ruth feels compelled to document the world around her through her lens. She struggles to maintain her identity as an artist while raising her children in their Manhattan apartment. The tension builds as Ruth must choose between conforming to social expectations and pursuing the photography career that defines her. At its heart, this is a story about a woman fighting to preserve her creative spirit in an era that demanded she choose between art and family.
Genres: biography, art, family-life, 20th-century, feminism, photography
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: artistic-temperament, conformity-vs-individuality, work-life-balance
Setting: Greenwich Village, Manhattan
Period: 1950s
48 pages · Paperback · Howard Greenberg Gallery