- 70
Dorothea Lange
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Dorothea Lange
- San Francisco Waterfront, the General Strike
- signed and dated in pencil (on the mount)
- gelatin silver print
- 9 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches
mounted, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, number '34042' in pencil on the reverse, framed, 1934 (Heart and Mind of a Photographer, p. 69; Getty, pl. 5)
Provenance
Christie's Los Angeles, 10 December 1998, Sale 9034, Lot 134
Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco, circa 2000
Condition
This pleasingly warm-toned print, on paper with a lush, nearly matte surface, is in generally excellent condition.
There is a 1/4-inch thin deposit, possibly ink or graphite, near the brim of the central figure's hat. In the lower right quadrant, a linear superficial surface scratch (measuring approximately 4-and-1/2-inches) is visible only upon very close examination in raking light. A few tiny deposits of original retouching, and minor silvering along the right edge, are also visible in raking light. Minor flaws in the negative, such as scratches and dust, are visible upon close examination and are not features of the present print.
The print is trimmed to the image and mounted to thin, sturdy card. The mount is only slightly larger than the print, measuring 10 by 7 inches. On the reverse of the mount are a few stray blue-ink deposits.
When examined under ultraviolet light, this print does not appear to fluoresce.
There is a Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco, label on the reverse of the frame.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
By 1933, Lange had grown increasingly aware of the dramatic discrepancy between her San Francisco portrait studio’s wealthy clientele and the destitute victims of the Great Depression she saw around the city. With fifteen years as a professional portrait photographer behind her, and a camera in hand, she took her work to the streets and started documenting the civil unrest of the time. ‘I wasn’t accustomed to jostling about in groups of tormented, depressed and angry men, with a camera,’ Lange said of her first forays into these events (Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning, p. 15). She took the present photograph at one of the many demonstrations in 1934, probably at the maritime strike in which longshoremen protested their working conditions. The thoughtful treatment of her subject in this field portrait demonstrates Lange’s humanitarian approach to photography. She focuses on the face of one protester who stands as a dignified and resilient symbol of the masses.