Paul Strand

flush-mounted, mounted again to gray board, signed, titled, and dated by the photographer in ink on a sheet of paper affixed to the reverse, matted, 1928, printed in the early 1940s; accompanied by a Walter and Naomi Rosemblum Collection label and stamp 

The photographer to Walter and Naomi Rosenblum

Jill Quasha, New York, acquired from the above, 1990

Acquired by the present owners from the above, 1990

Other prints of this image:

Nancy Newhall, Paul Strand: Photographs 1915-1945 (The Museum of Modern Art, 1945, in conjunction with the exhibition), cover and pl. 132

Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand: A Retrospective Monograph, the Years 1915-1968 (Aperture, 1972), Vol 1, p. 132

Paul Strand and Nancy Newhall, Time in New England (Aperture, 1980), p. 251

Sarah Greenough, Paul Strand: An American Vision (Aperture and The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., 1990, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 65

Sarah Greenough, et al., Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries (Washington, D. C.: National Gallery of Art, 2001, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 107

This photograph is on gelatin silver paper with a delicate surface sheen. As is typical of Strand's work, this expertly-made print exhibits the full range of tones – from absolute black to pure white – and delivers a great deal of detail. The photograph is essentially in excellent condition, and none of the minute condition issues outlined below diminishes the overwhelmingly fine appearance of the print. When Strand mounted this print to its initial flush-mount, a particle was trapped between the print and the mount in the lower left portion of the image. This is now visible as a small raised area and can only be seen when the print is examined closely in raking light. Close observation under raking light also reveals a series of faint shallow indentations to the left of the central iris leaf in the top part of the image – these do not break the emulsion. Under raking light, the photographer's skillful retouching can be seen. There is very minor wear on the print's edges which has resulted in very minor occasional chipping of the emulsion – this is only visible under close viewing. The secondary gray board mount is slightly unevenly trimmed and worn on the edges.
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.

A quintessential study of woodland New England, Growing Iris, Maine, was an important image for Paul Strand from the time of its making and was featured in at least two significant one-man exhibitions.  The first of these was Paul Strand: New Photographs at Alfred Stieglitz's Intimate Gallery in 1928, a show of thirty-two photographs, primarily of Maine, made between 1925 and 1928.  The second was The Museum of Modern Art's 1945 retrospective Paul Strand: Photographs 1915-1945.  Growing Iris, Maine, was chosen as the cover image for the exhibition catalogue.  In her introduction to that catalogue, Nancy Newhall describes Strand's New England work, and Growing Iris, Maine, in particular, as follows:

'In Maine, 1927-1928, he made a series of intense close-ups that have been called the essentials of poetry.  In these photographs he rises to his full stature: the velocity of line developed in the slanting grasses, curling ferns, vivid spear thrusts of young iris . . .'   (reprinted in Newhall, From Adams to Stieglitz: Pioneers of Modern Photography, Aperture, 1999, p. 74)

The print offered here dates from the time of The Museum of Modern Art exhibition, and Strand authority Anthony Montoya has suggested the possibility that this print was used as the basis for the Museum's catalogue reproduction.  Despite the photograph's importance to Strand's exhibition career, there are relatively few prints of the image extant.  According to Montoya, there is only one print of the image dating to close to the time of the negative: a platinum print in the Paul Strand Archive.  There are gelatin silver prints, contemporaneous with the print offered here, in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (originally a used by Strand as backing for another photograph), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  Montoya locates four other gelatin silver prints in private collections. 

Growing Iris, Maine, was made at the beginning of the series of photographs that would ultimately be collected in the book, Time in New England.  Consisting of quiet, detailed studies of nature, austere architectural photographs, and portraits, with historical texts compiled by Nancy Newhall, Time in New England sought to capture the essential character of the region.  While Growing Iris, Maine, was not included in the 1950 edition of the book, it comprised part of a section entitled 'Affirmations' in subsequent editions.