Lewis W. Hine

oversized, annotated 'Photograph by Lewis W. Hine/Hastings-on-Hudson, N. Y.' by the photographer in ink on the reverse, matted, 1905, probably printed in the 1930s

Collection of Allen H. Eaton

Acquired by Olive Boe Johnson from the above

Acquired by a private collector from the above, circa 1985

By descent to the present owner

Other prints of this image:

America and Lewis Hine: Photographs 1904-1940 (New York, 1977), p. 43

Judith Mara Gutman, Lewis W. Hine: 1874-1940, Two Perspectives (New York, 1974), p. 11

Karl Steinorth, Lewis Hine: Passionate Journey, Photographs 1905-1947 (Rochester: George Eastman House, 1996, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 38

Sarah Greenough, Joel Snyder, David Travis, and Colin Westerbeck, On the Art of Fixing a Shadow: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Photography (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., and The Art Institute of Chicago, 1989, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 143

Rare and impressive in this large format, this slightly warm-toned lifetime print is signed and annotated by Hine and is on double-weight matte-surface paper. It was almost certainly intended for exhibition and is in generally good condition. There is intermittent wear at the corners and edges, and there is some discoloration at the corners. Tiny brown pinpoint deposits of indeterminate nature are visible in the upper left quadrant, and there is a pencil-point-sized indentation that breaks the emulsion at the right edge. What appear to be scratches and spots on the surface are actually in the negative. In raking light, two parallel indentations at the upper left corner and two minor soft handling creases in the lower portion are visible. On the reverse, there is light soiling and age-darkening at the periphery and in the lower right corner, as well as adhesive residue at the upper corners.
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.

Lewis Hine began his extended series of portraits on Ellis Island in 1904, photographing immigrants and their families who passed through the Port of New York in the first decades of the twentieth century.  This was Hine's first significant body of work as a photographer, and the compassion with which he approached his subjects would characterize his work of subsequent decades. The massive waves of immigrants were met with both excitement and alarm, prompting debates—some racially motivated—regarding the creation of quotas by nationality.  Hine's photographs, such as the one offered here, are both particular and universal, eloquent documents of this unprecedented influx of humanity.  These images retain their impact today, over a century after their making.

Rare in this large format, the present print of Young Russian Jewess, Ellis Island, New York, was almost certainly intended for exhibition. This photograph comes originally from the collection of American folk art scholar Allen H. Eaton, author of Immigrant Gifts to American Life: Some Experiments in Appreciation of Foreign-Born Citizens to American Culture (1932) and the well-known Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands (1937), illustrated with the photographs of Doris Ulmann.  Also a committed social activist, Eaton would have crossed paths with Hine at the Ethical Culture School, where Eaton was a trustee, and the Russell Sage Foundation, where Eaton worked.  Another photograph from Eaton's collection appears as Lot 31 in the present catalogue.