IRVING PENN | 'Man Lighting Girl's Cigarette (New York)'

selenium-toned, signed, initialed, titled, dated, and annotated in pencil and stamped on the reverse, framed, a Norton Museum of Art exhibition label on the reverse, 1949, printed in 1983, one from an edition of no more than 8 gelatin silver prints

Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, 2004

John Szarkowski, Irving Penn (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1984), pl. 40Merry A. Foresta and William F. Stapp, Irving Penn. Master Images (The Collections of the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery) (Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1990), pl. 14

Irving Penn, Passage: A Work Record (New York, 1991), p. 77

Maria Morris Hambourg and Jeff Rosenheim, Irving Penn: Centennial (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2017), pl. 34

This selenium-toned print, on double-weight paper, is in generally excellent condition. Only visible in high raking light and upon very close examination are scattered very soft handling creases that are each no longer than 3/4-inch and do not appear to break the emulsion.The reverse is slightly age-darkened along the edges and there is minor soiling in the upper right quadrant. The following is written by the photographer in ink on the reverse: 'Print made 1983,' 'Neg. No. 18938P - 38A cc.' and 'Ref 12265.' In addition to the photographer's credit and copyright stamps [annotated '1949 Renewed 1977' in pencil], another stamps read as follows: 'toned in selenium' and 'signed, silver prints of this negative not exceeding 8 [in pencil].'
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.
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‘I always felt we were selling dreams, not clothes.’ – Irving Penn