Eugène Atget

albumen print, numbered '6331' in the negative, mounted, titled and numbered '6331' in pencil and a 'Photo E. Atget / Collection Berenice Abbott / 1 W. 67th ST.' stamp on the reverse, framed, 1922

Collection of Berenice Abbott / Julien Levy, 1968

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2002

For other Atget views of the Rue de l'Abbaye, see Atget Paris (Paris, 1992), pp. 489-90

Grading this albumen or arrowroot print on a scale of 1 to 10--a 10 being an albumen print with deep brown dark tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail--this print rates a 9. The print exhibits an extremely high degree of detail in the white curtains on the windows and the inscription on the walls. This photograph is in generally excellent condition. Upon close examination, slight abrasion of the emulsion is visible along the left edge. The right edge is faintly yellowed. These minor issues do not detract from the overall attractive appearance of this print. 'Dupl. 5/75' and 'MOMA DUPE [illegible] 2002' are written in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse. In 'The Work of Atget. Volume III: The Ancien Regime,' Maria Morris Hambourg has chronologically dated, in the form of an extensive chart, Atget's photographs by their series and negative numbers. The chart is the most comprehensive to date, and our dating of this print is based upon the author's assessment of the photographer's series and negative numbers. The negative number on this print '6331' indicates that this image was taken in 1922 (cf. 'The Work of Atget. Volume III: The Ancien Regime,' pp. 181-85).
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