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Martin Hesse is born on 26 July 1911 in Gaienhofen, the third son of Hermann Hesse and his first wife, the Basel photographer Mia Hesse-Bernoulli. In 1912, the family moves to Bern. When Mia Hesse-Bernoulli falls seriously ill in autumn 1918, Hermann Hesse is forced to place his three sons in the care of others. Martin comes to a foster family Ringier in Kirchdorf near Thun. At this time the family consists of Mrs. Anna Ringier-Aebi and the two daughters Johanna Ringier, a teacher by profession, and Alice Ringier, a nurse by profession. Dr Ernst Ringier, the former country doctor in the area, has already died. Martin is lucky. The three women like the boy and Martin feels at home in their house. He will spend the rest of his life looking after Johanna Ringier, who was like a second mother to him. Martin spent his first years at school in Kirchdorf. Then he lived temporarily with his mother in Ascona. When his mother fell ill, he returned to his foster family in Kirchdorf. In 1928 he began an apprenticeship as a structural draughtsman with architect Itten in Thun, which he completed in 1931. In 1932 he enrols to study at the Bauhaus in Dessau, wanting to study architecture after all. At the Bauhaus he came into contact with photography, took courses in photographic technology and photochemistry and bought his first camera, a LEICA. In 1934 he settled in Bern as a freelance photographer, did reportages, including one in Paris in 1936, and in 1938 was commissioned to photographically document the art and architectural monuments of the Canton of Bern. For this task, he trained with Arthur Blasius Senn at the Swiss National Museum in Zurich and with Robert Spreng in Basel. In 1944 he married the librarian Isabelle von Wurstemberger (1906-1990) and in 1945 their daughter Sibylle was born. His circle of clients soon included the advertising industry, museums, libraries, private collectors, artists and his father. Martin did not really love portrait photography. The big exception was his father: that was the only person Martin Hesse photographed again and again for three decades. Hermann Hesse had noticed his youngest son's abilities as a photographer very early on. Calls often came from Montagnola that it was time again to take new portraits. The poet never evaded his son's insatiable lens on other occasions either. Thus his daily life as well as festive moments were captured in hundreds of pictures. Although the photographer himself was never satisfied with his achievements, among them were pictures that Hermann Hesse not only held in high esteem, but which today are spread all over the world and remain unique. (hps)