Diane Arbus

signed and inscribed with the Arbus Estate authentication number by the photographer's daughter, Doon Arbus, in ink and stamped on the reverse, framed, 1968; accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity from the Arbus Estate (Magazine Work, p. 110)

This early print, on double-weight Agfa paper with a surface sheen, is in generally very good condition. In high raking light, a few handling creases are visible, including a soft crescent-shaped crease near the lower edge, and a sharp crescent-shaped crease near the upper right edge of the image. Neither crease apears to break the emulsion. Visible upon close examination are 3 very small, matte deposits of indeterminate nature in the upper right corner of the image and in the margin. The margin corners are bumped and creased, and there is a sharp handling crease that breaks the emulsion in the lower margin. On the reverse of the print, there are faint graphite rubbings and scattered pin-point-sized rust-colored deposits of indeterminate nature. The reverse of the print is inscribed in ink with the Arbus Estate authentication number: '#5855-2-IU-1620.' The copyright stamp is dated '84' in ink. The signed letter of authenticity that accompanies this lot is dated 9 December 1998.
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.

It is believed that this photograph is one of only two lifetime prints of the image extant.  The other print is in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art. 

Arbus photographed Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Eugene McCarthy, on assignment for Esquire magazine.  In a letter to her brother, the poet Howard Nemerov, Arbus recounted how McCarthy was initially an unwilling photographic subject:

'McCarthy looked as pained as if I was a dentist and began that curious gesture of looking like he was about to give me his face to photograph managing all the while to avoid inhabiting it.  Well right then and there I knew I would have to stoop to it and I did . . . said my schoolgirl piece about my brother the Howard Nemverov and the whole climate changed . . . Finally by the end of the day when he came to sit in the chair in front of me he was terribly open and curiously willing, although in the photograph he looks haunted.  Anyway I'd never have been able to do it without you.  I needed that kind of attention from him and he gave it on the assumption that any sister of yours must be an artist instead of a reporter' (Revelations,  p. 195).

Ultimately, Esquire never published any of Arbus's portraits of McCarthy.  Another image from the shoot is reproduced in Revelations, p. 196.