Edward Weston 1886-1958

mounted, initialed and dated by the photographer in pencil on the mount, titled and numbered in unidentified hands and with a 'Bureau de Paris Batignolles' stamp on the reverse, matted, 1936, printed no later than January 1950

Possibly from the Collection of Jean and Zohmah Charlot

Acquired by the present owner from Stephen White Gallery, Los Angeles, early 1980s 

Paris, Maison Kodak, Une Exposition D'Oeuvres du Photographe Edward Weston, 23 January - February 1950, and traveling to:

Paris, American Embassy Annex, 20 February - 3 March 1950

Other prints of this image:

Conger 927

Beaumont Newhall, Supreme Instants: The Photographs of Edward Weston (Tucson: Center for Creative Photography, 1986, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 43

Manfred Heiting, ed., Edward Weston (Köln, 2004), p. 159

Nancy Newhall, ed., Edward Weston: The Flame of Recognition (Aperture, 1967), p. 48

Kathy Kelsey Foley, Edward Weston's Gifts to His Sister (Dayton Art Institute, 1978, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 47

Judith Hochburg, Sarah Lowe, Michael Mattis, and Dody Weston Thompson, Edward Weston: Life Work (Revere, 2004), cover and pl. 63

Amy Conger, Edward Weston: The Form of the Nude (London, 2005), p. 94

Kurt Markus, Dune: Edward & Brett Weston (Kalispell, Montana, 2003), p. 55

This print, with a wide array of gray tones, is in generally excellent condition. Visible in raking light are a 1/2-inch faint hairline impression at the bottom right quadrant, as well as a few small deposits of the photographer's original retouching by the nude's foot. The top right edge of the print has one very small chip. The mount, a thick off-white board, has light handling marks on the front and back. The area surrounding the print is lightly sunned from a previous matting window. The front of the mount has two small circular soiling marks, possibly foxing, on the left and right sides of the print. On the back of the mount there are paper tape remains and losses to the top paper ply along the top edge. The back of the mount is annotated 'FC10, 1,' '52,' '46.70,' '944-13,' 'and '14000' in unidentified hands in pencil.
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.

This photograph was shown in the important solo exhibitions of Edward Weston's work, Une Exposition D'Oeuvres du Photographe Edward Weston, that opened in Paris in January 1950, first at the Maison Kodak and then at the American Embassy.

Please see Lot 5 for more information regarding the present print's provenance.