Ilse Bing's 'The Worlds of Ilse Bing' at Davis Museum

The Davis Museum at Wellesley College presents 'The Worlds of Ilse Bing,' a compact exhibition of the German photographer's work, on view from February 19 to May 24, 2026. Curated by Dr. Carrie Cushman, the show features vintage prints recently gifted by Bing's mentee and friend Suzanne Ciani (Wellesley Class of 1968). The exhibition is organized geographically around the three cities where Bing lived—Frankfurt, Paris, and New York City—placing her work in dialogue with contemporaries who shaped modern photography. Bing, known as the 'Queen of the Leica,' emerged during a transformative era that saw the birth of the photo-essay, the 35mm Leica camera, and darkroom experiments. Her black-and-white photographs capture musicality and movement, from circus scenes to portraits of musicians like Szymon Goldberg and Konrad Wolff. The display includes works such as 'Music Stands' (1933), 'Acrobat with Black Ball' (1936), and 'The Honorable Daisy Fellowes' (1933). The post also notes a correction: the museum mislabeled 'The Honorable Daisy Fellowes' as 'Fellowers' and 'Florence Henri' as 'Florence Henry.'