Alma Lavenson

mounted, signed and with cropping notations in pencil on the mount, titled and dated in ink, stamped, and with the photographer's '58 Wildwood Gardens, Piedmont, California' studio label and a 'San Francisco Society of Women Artists' exhibition label, signed and annotated in ink, on the reverse, 1939 (A Pageant of Photography, 1940, unpaginated; Alma Lavenson Photographs, p. 75)

The collection of the photographer; by descent to her family

San Francisco Museum of [Modern] Art, 14th Annual Exhibition, San Francisco Society of Women Artists, November - December 1939

Treasure Island, San Francisco, Golden Gate International Exposition, A Pageant of Photography: California Women Photographers, May - September 1940

The Baltimore Museum of Art, Alma Lavenson Photographs, March - April 1988

This early exhibition print is in generally very good to excellent condition. In high raking light, silvering is visible at the periphery of the print, as are a few tiny deposits of original retouching. The cropping notations on the mount are in pencil and green pencil. There are fingerprints from handling on the front and reverse of the mount. On the reverse of the mount, the San Francisco Museum of Art exhibition label is inscribed with the photographer's address and registration number '4842.' The stamp on the reverse is annotated in pencil and green pencil: Pkge No. '220'; Print No. '1'; and '6.' The following notations in pencil are also on the reverse of the mount: 'C' (circled); '45558-5-3'; and '#515.'
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.

Other prints of this image are reproduced in the following publications:

Alma Lavenson, 'Virginia City: Photographing a 'Ghost Town',' U. S. Camera, Travel Issue, No. 10, June-July 1940, p. 52

'A Pageant of Photography,' U. S. Camera, 1940, unpaginated

Susan Ehrens, Alma Lavenson Photographs (Berkeley, 1990), p. 75