Doris Ulmann

waxed platinum print, tipped to a mount, signed in pencil on the mount, title and date in pencil on the reverse, 1929-31

Archives of Arts et Métiers Graphiques

Collection of André Jammes, Paris

Sotheby's London, La Photographie. Collection Marie-Thérèse et André Jammes, 27 October 1999, Sale 9316, Lot 287

Doris Ulmann and Julia Peterkin, Roll, Jordan, Roll (New York, 1933), p. 82

The Darkness and the Light: Photographs by Doris Ulmann (Aperture, 1974), p. 78

David Featherstone, Doris Ulmann, American Portraits (Albuquerque, 1985), pl. 35

Philip Walker Jacobs, The Life and Photographs of Doris Ulmann (Lexington, 2001), fig. 26

Constance Sullivan, ed., Women Photographers (New York, 1990), pl. 28

This rich platinum print is in generally excellent condition. The print is trimmed to the image, and upon extremely close examination, light wear to the edges of the image is visible. This print is tipped to a slick, cream-colored mount, which is sunned at the image periphery. There are 2 brown paper-tape remnants at the upper mount corners and the lower mount corners are creased. The reverse is lightly soiled. 'Baptism,' '1928,' and 'AMG' are written in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse.
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.

The present image is illustrated in Doris Ulmann's and Julia Peterkin’s celebrated book, Roll, Jordan, Roll, published in 1933 by Robert O. Ballou.  With photographs by Ulmann and text by Pulitzer Prize-winning Peterkin, Roll, Jordan, Roll captures the life and customs of Southern African-Americans, many of whom were photographed on Peterkin’s South Carolina plantation, Lang Syne.  The deluxe edition of Roll, Jordan, Roll, contains 90 beautifully-rendered photogravures of Ulmann’s images, ranging from the baptism scene offered here to portraiture, occupational studies, and scenes of leisure. 

As a student of Clarence White, Ulmann incorporated many tenets of Pictorialism into her work, including the use of a soft-focus lens and an emphasis on natural light.  By turning her camera to the Appalachian poor and the formerly enslaved peoples of the South, however, Ulmann’s photographs moved beyond Pictorialism to convey real human elements.  In the empathetic portrayal of her subjects, Ulmann’s photographs are aligned with those of other socially-conscious photographers such as Lewis Hine and Dorothea Lange.

The present photograph depicts the practice of immersion baptism common in the South.