Ruth Harriet Louise

Ruth Harriet Louise (born Ruth Goldstein; January 13, 1903 – October 12, 1940) was an American photographer. She was the first woman photographer active in Hollywood, and she ran Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's portrait studio from 1925 to 1930.

Early life and career Ruth Harriet Louise was born Ruth Goldstein in New York City and raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Klara Jacobson Sandrich Goldstein, who was born in Rajec, Hungary (present-day Slovakia) and Jacob Goldstein, who was a rabbi originally from England. Most of her photographs from this period are of family members and members of her father's temple congregation.

In 1925, she moved to Los Angeles and set up a small photo studio on Hollywood and Vine. In a career that lasted only five years, Louise photographed all the stars, contract players, and many of the hopefuls who passed through the studio's front gates, including Greta Garbo (Louise was one of only seven photographers permitted to make portraits of her), She died, along with her second son, in 1940 of complications from childbirth, and she was buried with her sons at Home of Peace Cemetery.