The photographer

​In the summer of 1976, my dad flew to Germany and came home with a sunflower yellow Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible that he named Muth (pronounced moot, German for courage). I grew up in Muth’s backseat playing games of “street sweeper”, my eyes on the stars while my dad swerved back and forth. In my teens I learned to drive stick shift in Muth, and in my 20s I mastered the clutch on the hills of San Francisco. 

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Muth was ultimately passed down to me, and now, in my 50s, I biennially pray for him to pass the California smog test. When he does, I celebrate by taking him for a drive with the top down. Every time I’m driving my Beetle someone stops me to reminisce about their own transformative adventures or the distinct “Volkswagen” smell and sound of these charismatic vehicles. Through these photographs I hope to investigate the intangible qualities that give air-cooled Volkswagens their cache. What is it about these cars specifically — a cocktail of smart advertising, unique design, and sheer nostalgia — that allows us to imbue them with lovable, curious personalities? I hope these photographs spotlight a counter-narrative to a car culture that is notoriously male-dominated, within which women have been historically sexualized or minimized as accessories.