Ruby Washington grew up on a farm in Patterson, Georgia, where her father grew tobacco, cotton, and vegetables. A middle child of twelve siblings, she started taking pictures in childhood. The first African-American female staff photographer, Ms. Washington began working as as a lab technician at The New York Times in the mid-1970s and was soon promoted to staff photographer, shooting for the paper until 2014, when she retired. Ms. Washington passed away in September 2018.