Paul Outerbridge, Jr.

mounted, numerical notations and a diagram in an unidentified hand in pencil on the mount, 1943 (Time: The Weekly Magazine, 12 April 1943, p. 1; Singular Aesthetic, pl. 265; Taschen, p. 29)

This warm, early print, on paper with a slight surface sheen, is in generally good condition. In raking light, the following are visible: silvering at the periphery; tiny deposits of original retouching, particularly in the right portion of the print; a faint 5 1/2-inch soft corner crease at the upper right that likely occurred prior to mounting; a small sharp crease that appears to break the emulsion at the center bottom edge; and a small mounting bubble in the lower central portion of the print. The photograph is mounted on board that shows signs of age and wear. A modern overmat that was glued to the original mount has been removed and evidence of this overmat remains. On the reverse of the mount, there are old cellotape stains, likely from a engraver's sheet of brown overlay paper that was at one time attached.
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 image offered here, Egg in Spotlight, combines Paul Outerbridge's decades-long fascination with photographing eggs in innovative ways and his tour-de-force talents as an advertising photographer.  Egg in Spotlight was done for an ad campaign for the National Dairy Products Corporation and its affiliated companies.  It was used in the 12 April 1943 issue of Time magazine for an ad whose headline read, 'The Egg of the Month.' The simplicity of the composition enhances the impact of the image: a single, perfect egg in a spotlight, accorded the status of celebrity. 

Outerbridge began making pictures of eggs early in his career. A number of his small, early platinum prints from the 1920s comprise a variety of studies of eggs—on tables, in bowls, in pie tins, on plinths, and more (cf. Singular Aesthetic, pls. 41, 44, 59, 141, and 142).  In the 1930s, eggs found their way into Outerbridge's more metaphysically-titled compositions, among them 'Consciousness' and 'The Triumph of the Egg' (ibid., pls. 95 and 96), the latter perhaps a direct response to some of Steichen's work of the same period.  Outerbridge's obsession with eggs became well-known to his contemporaries; as Dr. M. F. Agha, a design director at Condé Nast, wrote in 1931, 'In Paris, you will hear about Outerbridge who made 4,000 plates [or was it 10,000?] before he discovered how an egg really should be photographed' (quoted in Taschen, p. 13).     

The image offered here was referred to by Outerbridge in a 1952 letter: 'The single egg in the rays of a spotlight was the last advertising picture I did in the East [Outerbridge moved to California in 1943] – for National Dairies through N. W. Ayer for, as I recall, either 300 or 400 Dollars' (quoted in Taschen, p. 246).  At least one variant of the image exists, with the ray of light in a slightly different position. 

This image has been persistently misdated in the Outerbridge literature as 'circa 1928.'  The Outerbridge letter quoted above and the use of the picture in the April 1943 image of Time confirm a 1943 date for this photograph.