Irving Penn

platinum-palladium print, flush-mounted to aluminum, signed, editioned '22/65,' annotated, and stamped on the reverse, 1947, printed in December 1978 (MoMA, pl. 73; Passage, p. 39)

Acquired from Marlborough Gallery, New York, in the late 1970s

This print is in generally excellent condition. On the reverse, there are 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch strips of paper backing lacking at the lower and left edges. A white substance of indeterminate nature has been used as filler in these areas. The reverse is lightly soiled. This photograph has been treated by a professional conservator, and the treatment report is available upon request.
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.

Irving Penn wrote the following about 'New York Still Life (Elements of a Party),' an editorial photograph he made for Vogue,

'New York Still Life with Food:  A culinary melting pot, New York has prosciutto and Provolone from Italy via Little Italy, wine and liqueurs from France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Chile, and Japan.  In fact, food from almost any nation can be bought somewhere in the city; is bought and eaten by people who have never seen or seriously contemplated the country of origin.  Other crossroads elements here:  the Limoges coffee cup, eighteenth-century English wineglass, a sack of cracked corn, Romano cheese, a Victorian compote, a blue and gold Chinese Lowestoft platter and a pot of Armorial Lowestoft, an Irish linen cloth, French bread baked in Manhattan, probably by Italian and Irish bakers' (Moments Preserved, p. 121).