Lot 17
  • 17

Edward Steichen

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • Edward Steichen
  • DOUGLASS LIGHTERS (FOR J. WALTER THOMPSON)
  • Gelatin silver print
with credit and extensive annotations in pencil and red crayon and 2 Museum of Modern Art stamps on the reverse, tipped to a paper mount, 1926

Provenance

Collection of Joanna Steichen

Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York, 2000

Exhibited

Winterthur, Switzerland, Fotomuseum Winterthur, The Ecstasy of Things, September - November 2004, and traveling to:

Milan, Museo Fotografia Contemporanea, Cinisello Balsamo, and Spazio Oberdan, March - May 2005

Literature

Thomas Seelig and Urs Stahel, eds., The Ecstasy of Things (Gottingen, 2008), p. 234 (this print)

Harper's Bazaar, November 1928, p. 128, Advertisement for Douglass Lighters

Todd Brandow and William A. Ewing, Edward Steichen: Lives in Photography (Minneapolis: Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography and the Musée de L'Elysée, Lausanne, 2007), pl. 44

Joanna Steichen, Steichen's Legacy: Photographs, 1895-1973 (New York, 2000), pl. 99, there dated 1928

Patricia Johnson, Real Fantasies: Edward Steichen's Advertising Photography (Berkeley, 1997), fig. 5.5, p. 114

Robert Sobieszek, The Art of Persuasion: A History of Advertising Photography (New York, 1988), pl. 31

Barbara Haskell, The American Century: Art & Culture, 1900-1950 (Whitney Museum of American Art, 1999), fig. 330, p. 177

Condition

This photograph is on heavy double-weight paper with a semi-glossy surface. The paper’s tones are very slightly and pleasingly warm. As would be expected from Steichen at the height of his powers as an advertising photographer, this is an excellent print: the lighters’ silver surfaces are expertly rendered, as are the darts of reflected light that radiate from them. As is typical of Steichen’s best advertising work, the high quality of the print enhances the elegance and desirability of its subjects. The print is trimmed to the image, and close examination reveals a sharp handling crease along the left edge. Closer examination reveals a number of very small spots of original retouching. There is a white mark adjacent to the lower left edge that appears to be due to a glitch in the negative: it is not a physical feature of the print itself. The print is affixed at the top left corner to a gray/brown paper mount. It was originally also affixed at the top right corner, but the adhesive has given way. The mount is binder-punched with four circular holes along the right edge. Presumably, this print was included in an album for reference or display. The mount is age-darkened and has glue remains just below the image, likely where a caption label was affixed. Marks on the reverse of the mount indicate that another photograph was originally affixed there. On the reverse of the print are the following notations in pencil, unless otherwise noted: 'Adv. Photograph for Cigarette Lighters for J. Walter Thompson 1926'; 'P-5 / April - 9'; 'Advertising Photograph / Edward Steichen / 1926 / Lighters' (crossed out); 'PD #9' (crossed out in orange crayon); '1618'; and '15' (circled) in orange crayon. Also on the reverse are 2 Museum of Modern Art stamps, including the 'Please Return to the Publicity Department' stamp. There is a small abrasion to the upper paper-ply on the reverse of the print.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.