Paul Outerbridge, Jr.

color carbro print, 1938

This color carbro print is in generally fair condition, with two vertical, 8-inch creases in the central portion of the print, one of which appears to break the surface intermittently. There is a soft 5-inch crease in the lower left corner. There are a few stray pinpoint areas of color on the print's surface. These dots of color--often cyan, magenta, and yellow--are typical of the carbro process.
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 photograph offered here, Hand, Shell, and Leg, may be the only print of this image extant; at the time of this writing, no other prints have been located.  It does not appear in the catalogue raisonné of Outerbridge images compiled by Elaine Dines in 1981 (A Singular Aesthetic, Laguna Beach, 1981), nor in the other Outerbridge literature.

The elements of the composition, however, are pure Outerbridge: a conch shell, which appears in several of the photographer's works, among them the Favor-Horn and Shell (see Lot 97); and the elegant hand and leg of a model whose identity remains obscure. 

In his definitive volume, Photographing in Color (New York, 1940), Outerbridge advises photographers to make their works as timeless as possible—'avoid all fashions that will obviously date your portrait,' he comments (p. 59)—and in the case of nude studies, recommends that they remain 'impersonal' (p. 67).  The omission of all specific details in the Hand, Shell, and Leg offered here makes it one of the most contemporary of all Outerbridge photographs.