Heinrich Kühn

waxed gum-bichromate and carbon print on laid tissue, annotated 'Druck' and '5 1/2 c' and with registration notations, likely by the photographer, in pencil on the reverse, matted, framed, circa 1907

Collection of Graham Nash

Sotheby's New York, Photographs from the Collection of Graham Nash, 25 April 1990, Sale 6003, Lot 107

Acquired by the present owner from the above

Other prints of this image:

Ulrich Knapp, Heinrich Kühn: Photographien (Salzburg, 1988), pl. 12

Photography: The First Eighty Years (London: P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., 1976), pl. 411

Lunn Gallery/Graphics International Ltd., Catalogue 6: Photo-Secession (Washington, D. C., 1977), pl. 146

This dramatic multiple-process print is on very thin, almost translucent, laid tissue. It has the complex tonality one sees in the best of Kuhn's prints. The darks incorporate deep gray and green tones, and the highlights are a light cream color. The print is essentially in excellent condition. The small white speck to the left of Steichen's head (just barely visible in the catalogue illustration) appears to be due to a small defect in the negative and not in the print itself. When the print is examined very closely, a faint (and presumably old) horizontal crease is visible in the lower portion of the image – this can also be seen in the catalogue illustration. This crease is roughly 3 ¾ inches in length. As noted in the catalogue description, Kuhn waxed the surface of this print. The aging of this coating has resulted in the faintly mottled appearance of the darker portions of the image. The print has ¾-inch margins on the sides, and 2 and 2 ½-inch margins on the top and bottom respectively. The edges of the print are slightly worn and a small portion of the upper left corner is detached. While these issues bear mention in an assessment of the print's condition, they do not undermine the overwhelmingly fine appearance of the image.
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.

The Austrian Pictorialist Heinrich Kühn was one of the foremost European members of the Photo-Secession.  As a crusader for photography's acceptance as fine art and as an organizer of exhibitions, he played a role on the continent equal to that of Alfred Stieglitz in America.  His keen interest in photographic printing techniques led him to experiment with the complex gum-bichromate process, originally popularized by Frenchman Robert Demachy.  Along with fellow Austrians Han Watzek and Hugo Henneberg, Kühn elaborated on the process to make it a more expressive tool for the Pictorial photographer.  Kühn became a master of the process, as evidenced by the magnetic portrait of Edward Steichen offered here.  Kühn's adept handling of the print's vast dark areas accentuates the impact of Steichen's gaze as he peers over his folded hands and regards the camera directly. 

In Steichen, Kühn found an ideal subject for a portrait sitting.  Self-portraiture had been a component of Steichen's own work from the very early days of his work in photography, and would continue to be so throughout his career.  Steichen was one of few photographers as confident in front of the camera as behind it.  In Kühn's portrait, Steichen's piercing eyes suggest the intensity of his own artistic vision.  With its fine print quality and its moody and dramatic portrayal of the sitter's character, Kühn's image of Steichen—like Clarence White's portrait of Alfred Stieglitz (Lot 9) and Steichen's portraits of Rodin (Lot 14) and G. F. Watts (Lot 112)—is an archetypal Pictorialist portrait.