Imogen Cunningham 1883-1976

The photographer to Allan Porter, 1975

Stephen Daiter, Chicago

Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1996

Tom Maloney, ed., U.S. Camera Annual 1939, p. 32

Richard Lorenz, Imogen Cunningham: Flora (New York, 1996), pl. 56

Manfred Heiting, ed., Imogen Cunningham, 1883-1976 (Cologne, 2001), p. 213

Margery Mann, Imogen Cunningham: Photographs (Seattle, 1970), pl. 24

Keith F. Davis, An American Century of Photography, From Dry-plate to Digital: The Hallmark Photographic Collection (Kansas City, 1995 and 1999), first edition, pl. 62; second edition, pl. 211

William A. Ewing, Flora Photographica: Masterpieces of Flower Photography From 1835 to the Present (New York, 1991), pl. 58

This photograph was originally sent by Imogen Cunningham to Allan Porter, editor-in-chief of Camera magazine.  Cunningham had corresponded with Porter, an American, in the 1970s and was an appreciator of his work at Camera magazine, which was published in Lucerne, Switzerland.  In a letter to Porter dated 7 March 1974, she suggested sending some of her photographs to him for publication.  Porter subsequently contacted Cunningham about devoting an entire issue to her work.  In June of 1975, Cunningham wrote a grateful letter to Porter offering to send him further examples of work for the proposed issue, including ‘any plant forms from the 20s that you do not have.’  The resulting October 1975 issue of Camera included reproductions of 24 Cunningham photographs, ranging from 1910 to 1973, as well as a chronology of Cunningham’s life, and interviews with Cunningham by Judy Dater and others.  The print of Amaryllis offered here was reproduced on page 25.  Copies of three letters sent by Cunningham to Porter accompany this lot.