The artist Ruth Baumgarte married the Bielefeld businessman Hans Baumgarte in 1952. His ironworks in the era of Germany's economic miracle were a source of inspiration for the works in her industry cycle. Ruth Baumgarte suggested motifs for the annual company calendar from the inner workings of the factory. She was now employing her talent to create a precise record of her environment – in a place where, at that time, no artist and certainly no female artist in West Germany had set foot: the assembly halls with their workbenches.

The artist selected her own models and drew them directly from life. Her extensive experience as a magazine and book illustrator stood her in good stead here. And of course her sure sense of colour, which sets her figures before intense red, blue and orange backgrounds. Above all, she employed her particular skill in portraiture. The focus was once again always on the people; on the producers of the boilers and casting products. Her self-portrait in red chalk from this period is at the top left

Illustrations by Ruth Baumgarte, overall design by Werner Kuhnert

Printed and published by Hans Grundlach, Bielefeld