Paul Outerbridge, Jr.

platinum print, mounted, the photographer's estate stamp on reverse, framed, circa 1923 (A Singular Aesthetic, pl. 137; Photographs, p. 67)

Sotheby's New York, 6 October 1999, Sale 7348, Lot 91

This lovely print has all of the quality and attention to detail to be expected from the best of Paul Outerbridge's photographs. In it, Outerbridge has fully exploited the platinum process's long tonal range, and has produced a print whose tones range from the deep black of the shadows to the bright white of the cake of soap on the ladder. The delineation between these tonal areas is subtle but definite. As always with Outerbridge, the technical aspects of the medium have been masterfully handled. The print is in excellent condition, with the matte surface typical of the platinum process. It is on Outerbridge's characteristic thin board mount, with a debossed area into which the photograph has been carefully affixed. The mount has age-appropriate discoloration at the edges, as well as some minor inconsequential wear on the corners. There are a number of penciled notations, in various hands, on the reverse of the mount. The "Estate of Paul Outerbridge, Jr., POC#" stamp is numbered "448." "Pl. 137" refers to the photograph's appearance in the book, A Singular Aesthetic. Other annotations are "POC 448," "Page 71," and "156."
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.

Paul Outerbridge was one of the most imaginative and innovative photographers of his day, and is in large part responsible for creating the conventions of the modern studio still life.  His native talent for the genre was honed at the Clarence White School for Photography in New York City, where he studied in 1921 and 1922.  The early 1920s were an especially fertile time for his still-life experiments, among them the iconic Ide Collar and Marmon Crankshaft.  Like other White students, such as Margaret Watkins and Bernard Shea Horne—and like White himself—Outerbridge worked at creating compelling photographs using quotidian objects.  Outerbridge's awareness of Cubism and other Modern trends in painting inform his work of this period, very much in evidence in An Abstraction in Angles.  The title draws the viewer away from the objects and focuses attention on the angular composition.  It was Outerbridge's genius that he could create high art out of ordinary subject matter, and it was ultimately this quality which made his work so attractive to the advertising industry. 

This print has all of the quality and attention to detail characteristic of the best of Paul Outerbridge's photographs.  In it, Outerbridge has fully exploited the platinum process's long tonal range.  Although the First World War had made platinum scarce, Outerbridge felt strongly that his photographs were most successfully rendered on platinum paper.  Because of the scarcity and expense of his most-favored paper, Outerbridge printed even the best of his images in very limited quantities.