Herb Ringer was incredibly talented in so many ways; yet he never received recognition while he was alive for his creativity. He never sought recognition for his work. He was an artist in the purest sense of the word.
Herb worked his entire life in grocery stores. For decades, he managed a series of markets in Reno, Nevada. I doubt that any of his friends or associates knew of his skills as a photographer or as a writer. As Herb approached the end of his life, he started giving me his photographs—boxes and boxes of Kodachrome slides and going further back, his black and white prints. He gave me thousands of 2 1/4 frame photos shot with his Rollei large frame camera. At one point he even gifted me his father’s photo albums that dated back to the early 1900s, when Joseph was first courting Sadie. And finally, with great solemnity, one evening Herb walked into his darkened bedroom and emerged a few moments later with a large format scrapbook, wrapped in brown paper. He clung to it like a holy book. It was his father Joseph’s journal. Herb gave his dad the blank journal at Christmas 1944. Joseph faithfully recorded his days and his memories for the next 18 years, until his death in 1963.
These images come mostly from Joseph Ringer’s albums. Joseph was a classical musician and performed with some of the greatest orchestras and maestros on the planet. Joseph’ journal recorded page after page of information about his life and of his wife and son. He listed all those great maestros and symphony orchestras in his journal. Joseph was also an artist; and Herb inherited his gift. Included below is a photo of Herb holding one of his early works of art. He couldn’t have been more than eight or nine.
So technically, in this edition of “Herb Ringer, Coast-to-Coast,” it’s really his amazing father who should get the photo credits. These images begin before Herb was born, going back to 1909. Herb was born in Brooklyn in 1913, but because his father performed with different orchestras, the Ringers moved about. They spent part of the next few years in Cincinnati, Ohio,. Take a trip through Time with the Ringer Family…JS
than three or four months old in this photograph
and three years later in Cincinnati,
That’s Covington, Kentucky on the far side.
Herb poses a century early, in 1920.
framed by tall limestone cliffs. They’re called “The Palisades.”
A perfect image.
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Great photos.
Excellent photos and narrative. You chose the right photos for this. Herb was exceptionally interesting. He and his family are a wonderful slice of America.
I love looking at Herb’s old pictures. Fascinating.
Love the history and old photos. Thanks
Delightful article and photos. All your articles are interesting to read, and I especially enjoyed this one.