In 1913, Nini and Carry Hess established a photography studio in Frankfurt, which quickly became one of the most respected in Germany. Their lens captured a theatre that straddled the past and the future, showcasing the blend of Expressionism and New Objectivity, along with artists from Frankfurt's vibrant cultural scene and beyond. They documented the Habima Theatre on tour, and their sensitive portraits of the "New Woman" emerged both on and off the stage.
In the early 1930s, Gertrude Fuld documented the theatrical life in Munich, creating images directly on the stages. Her photographs served as documentary evidence of a time undergoing significant turmoil.
After the rise of the National Socialists, all three women lost their livelihoods in Germany due to their Jewish heritage. The lives and works of Nini and Carry Hess were destroyed, while Gertrude Fuld fled with her partner and future husband, Jules Fehr, to Switzerland via Paris. In 1940, she established a photography school in Lausanne under the name Fehr.
The complete works of the Hess sisters were lost when their studio was destroyed during the Reichstag Night of November 9-10, 1938 (Kristallnacht). However, their legacy was reconstructed for the first time in 2022 at an exhibition at the Giersch Museum of Goethe University Frankfurt. The exhibition at the German Theatre Museum showcases a selection focused on theatre photography, complemented by works from Munich photographers.
