Peter Sekaer

annotation 'S1-12' in pencil on the reverse, circa 1936

Acquired directly from the family of the photographer

This warm-toned early print is on paper with a slight surface sheen. The edges are rubbed and the corners are bumped. The upper right corner is creased. When examined in raking light, occasional slight cockling is visible, primarily in the right half of the print.
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 photographic work of Danish-born Peter Sekaer (1901 – 1950) is currently the subject of a book and major retrospective at Atlanta's High Museum of Art.  Emigrating to North America as a teenager just after World War I, Sekaer settled in New York in 1920, where he had his own graphic design, window display, and advertising business.  Sekaer met Walker Evans and Ben Shahn while studying at the Art Students League, and Shahn urged him to study photography with Berenice Abbott at the New School for Social Research.

In 1935, Walker Evans hired Sekaer to print all of the negatives for his extensive 'African Negro Art' project for the Museum of Modern Art.  Later that year, Sekaer and his wife Elizabeth were invited to joinEvans on his second F. S. A. assignment to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  In 1936, the two men traveled and photographed together throughout the South, as Evans worked on behalf of the Resettlement Administration.  From 1936 to 1943, Sekaer worked as a photographer for several governmental agencies—the Rural Electrification Administration, the Office of Indian Affairs, the U. S. Housing Authority, and the Institute of Inter-American Affairs—and for the American Red Cross.  During this time, his works and essays were published in U. S. Camera and appeared in exhibitions.  In the years before his death, Sekaer was a commercial and advertising photographer.