Ulrike H. lived her final months in Room 23 at St. Frances Hospice near Dusseldorf, Germany, watching as people came in and out of the facility, as they died. A longterm resident of the hospice, Mrs. H had been a dance instructor before she was hit with what she called the "bad luck" of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a disease that results in the atrophy and inability to control muscle movement. Over the course of a year, German photographer Daniel Schumann got to know the woman, captured her portrait as the illness progressed. The photographer’s book, Purple Brown Grey White Black - Life in Death documents the lives of nine residents at St. Frances, including Mrs. H; its title, says Schumann, comes from the colors of the sweaters she wore on each consecutive visit.
