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Margaret Bourke-White
Description
- Margaret Bourke-White
- LOUISVILLE FLOOD
- Gelatin silver print
Condition
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.
Catalogue Note
The Witkin Gallery had two significant Margaret Bourke-White exhibitions during its first ten years in operation. This scarce lifetime print of one of Bourke-White's best-known photographs was used in conjunction with the first, in January 1971. Bourke-White was involved with the exhibition and attended the opening. She died in August 1971.
This photograph, made by Bourke-White for LIFE magazine in February 1937 during severe flooding in the Ohio River valley, shows refugees lining up for supplies at an emergency relief station in Louisville, Kentucky. An example of the social and economic ironies of the Depression era, it is perhaps Bourke-White's best-known image. As of this writing, only one other print of this image is believed to have been offered at auction.