The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Champ de Mars from the Eiffel Tower

1931 (printed 1950s)

Ilse Bing

(American, 1899–1998)
America
Gelatin silver print, ferrotyped
Image: 20.3 x 27.9 cm (8 x 11 in.)
The A. W. Ellenberger, Sr., Endowment Fund 2019.179
© Estate of Ilse Bing
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Ilse Bing was known as the “Queen of the Leica.”

Description

Radical viewpoints—especially the worm’s- or bird’s-eye view—were a hallmark of 1920s and 1930s avant-garde imagery, reflecting a new attitude toward space spurred by recent technological innovations such as the skyscraper and the airplane. Bing was one of the first professionals to adopt the Leica, a lightweight, small 35 mm camera. It did not require a tripod and could easily be held at any angle, thus especially suited to this new way of seeing.
  • Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg, Scarsdale, NY
    September 3, 2019
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "In Perspective: Leica queen." Art & Antiques 43, no. 3 (March 2020): 30. Reproduced: p. 30; Mention: p. 30
    Tannenbaum, Barbara. “Queen of the Leica: Ilse Bing found freedom of expression in a small, lightweight camera.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 2 (March/April 2020): 30-31. Reproduced: P. 31.
    Exhibitions--Extended Dates. "Ilse Bing: Queen of the Leica.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 3 (Summer 2020): 4-5. Reproduced: P. 5; Mentioned: P. 4.
  • Ilse Bing: Queen of the Leica. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 6-October 11, 2020).
  • {{cite web|title=Champ de Mars from the Eiffel Tower|url=false|author=Ilse Bing|year=1931 (printed 1950s)|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.179