Berenice Abbott

flush-mounted, signed and titled in pencil and with the photographer's '50 Commerce Street, New York 14, N. Y.' studio stamp on the reverse, framed, Buhl Collection and Guggenheim Museum exhibition labels on the reverse, 1927, probably printed in the 1930s or 1940s

Christie's New York,  21 April 1994, Sale 7902, Lot 140, Nathalie Karg, Ltd., New York, agent

New York, Guggenheim Museum, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection, June - September 2004, and 4 other international venues through 2007 (see Appendix 1)

West Palm Beach, Norton Museum of Art, A Show of Hands: Photographs and Sculpture from the Buhl Collection, January - March 2008

Jennifer Blessing, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection (Guggenheim Foundation, 2004), pp. 99 and 199 (this print)

Berenice Abbott, Photographs (New York, 1970), p. 19

Berenice Abbott, Photographer: A Modern Vision (The New York Public Library, 1989), pl. 5

Ron Kurtz, ed., Berenice Abbott (Gottingen, 2008), Vol. I, p. 61

John Szarkowski, The Photographer's Eye (The Museum of Modern Art, 1966), p. 49

This early print, on cool, lightly-textured paper, is in generally very good condition. Upon close examination are the following: 2 small, thin surface scuffs in the upper left quadrant (measuring 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch), which appear to disrupt the emulsion ever-so-slightly; a few tiny particles adhered to the surface; 3 pen-point-sized raised deposits of indeterminate nature in the upper right quadrant; and a very small area of silvering in the lower right print corner. There are a few miniscule losses of emulsion along the periphery of the print. The print is mounted to thick board. There are abrasions to the upper paper-ply on the reverse of the mount. When examined under ultraviolet light, this print does not appear to fluoresce.
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.