LOS ANGELES.- Women in Photography International (WIPI) celebrates 23 years of promoting the visibility of women in the photographic arts and their work - by presenting a special, ten-day auction beginning on Thursday, February 12, 2004 at 4pm PST. The featured item in this eBay auction will be Ruth Bernhard’s B/W image "Aquinetta With Child."*

The photograph, 10.25" x 11.25" a silver gelatin print, photographed in 1944 and printed in 2003, signed both front and verso in pencil with title and signature.  The work, unframed, is matted in 20" x 24" museum white, archival 8 ply. The photograph has been personally donated by Ruth Bernhard as a wonderful gesture of her continued commitment to women working in the field of photography. Women In Photography International is most grateful to Bernhard - a spirited, 98 year old whose colleagues included Ansel Adams, Imogene Cunningham and Edward Weston. "I allowed life to give me presents," she says. "And everything just sort of happened the way it was supposed to happen. I did not pursue anything. It more or less pursued me."

In 1984, Ruth was the recipient of Women In Photography’s Distinguished Photographer’s Award. Other recipients of this award are: Eve Arnold, Judy Dater, Marion Post Wolcott, Linda McCartney, Mary Ellen Mark, Ruth Orkin,  Berenice Abbott, Joyce Tenneson, Grace Robertson and Annie Leibovitz.

Also included in this fund raising effort will be a selection of photographs (for sale, not for auction) donated by "photo l.a. 2004" award winning artists:  Michele Dugan, Jean Ferro, Stephanie Flack, Freyda Miller and Juanita Richeson.