Paul Strand

signed, titled, dated, and annotated 'return to Orgeval-s/o France-Please handle with care do not soil or bend' in blue ink on the reverse, 1953, probably printed in the late 1950s; accompanied by a detached mount with protective tissue, each signed, titled, dated, and annotated in ink

Lunn Graphics International, Ltd., Washington, D. C.

Private collection

Christie's New York, 4 October 2001, Sale 9754, Lot 122

Paul Strand and Cesare Zavattini, Un Paese: Portrait of an Italian Village (Aperture, 1997), dust jacket and p. 81

Michael E. Hoffman, ed., Paul Strand: Sixty Years of Photographs (Aperture, 1976), p. 75

Maren Strange, ed., Paul Strand, Essays on His Life and Work (Aperture, 1990), p. 256

Sarah Greenough, Paul Strand: An American Vision (Aperture and The National Gallery of Art, 1990), p. 129

František Vrba, SNKLU Series: Paul Strand (Prague, 1961), pl. 59

Anne M. Lyden, In Focus: Paul Strand (The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005), pl. 37 

Aperture Masters of Photography: Paul Strand (Aperture, 1987), dust jacket 

Beaumont Newhall, The History of Photography from 1839 to The Present Day (The Museum of Modern Art, 1964), p. 121

LIFE Library of Photography: The Art of Photography (New York, 1971), p. 113

Mike Weaver, The Art of Photography, 1839-1989 (Yale University Press, 1989), pl. 193

Keith F. Davis, An American Century of Photography: From Dry-Plate to Digital (Kansas City, 1999), pl. 362

This print, on double-weight paper with a semi-matte surface and an impressive range of tonality, is in generally excellent condition. The thin margins have ink crop marks. On the reverse of the print, there are abrasions and small remnants of paper where it appears that the tissue from the accompanying mat may have once been affixed. In addition, there are very small cloth tape remnants at the top edge on the reverse, from prior hinging. Strand's writing in blue ink on the reverse of the accompanying mount reads, '"The Family" Luzzara, Italy, 1953, Photograph by Paul Strand. return to (arrow pointing to Strand's name) Orgeval -s/o, France. Please handle with care not to bend, break or soil.' Strand's writing in blue ink on the protective tissue reads as follows: 'In reproducing include the whole print to the edges of negative - do not crop. "The Family" Luzzara, Italy 1953. Photograph by Paul Strand, Return to (arrow pointing to Strand's name), Orgeval, s/o, France. Please handle with care - do not bend or break or soil.'
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.

Lusetti Family, Luzzara, Italy, is the signature image from Strand's photographic portrait of the village of Luzzara, in the Po region of Italy. It was the dust jacket illustration for Un Paese, a volume of these photographs published in 1955, with text by Cesare Zavattini.  Human resilience in the face of adversity is the central motif of the image, and a central theme of the book. It was a theme of great importance to Strand, formerly a student of the great social documentarian Lewis Hine, and to Zavattini, the screenwriter for such classics of Italian cinema as Umberto D and The Bicycle Thief.