PAUL STRAND | Fern, Early Morning Dew, Georgetown, Maine, 1927

waxed platinum contact print, flush-mounted to cardsigned, titled and dated 1928 in green ink on the reverse of the flush-mountmatted and framed

Galerie Zur Stockeregg, Zurich;
Private collection, South Africa;
Phillips de Pury & Company, New York, 27 Exceptional Photographs, April 24, 2007, lot 15;

Newhall and Strand, Time in New England, p. 141;
Aperture, Paul Strand: Sixty years of Photographs, p.101;
Aperture, Paul Strand: A Retrospective Monograph, The Years 1915-1946, p. 65 (there titled and dated Fern, Early Morning, Maine, 1927);
Galerie Zur Stockeregg, Paul Strand, p. 28 (there titled Fern, 'Early Morning Dew', Georgetown, Maine, 1928).

This print is in overall excellent condition. A linear crease along upper left edge, very fine crackling in the wax layer in three different areas, all visible only under raking light and close inspection. A gorgeous print with rich delicate tones.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"One of the most beautiful and most influential parts of Strand's heroic oeuvre is the series of close up nature studies that he began in the early twenties. These pictures are not merely descriptions of particular botanical or geological forms; they are, rather, miniature landscapes, organized with the same rigor and described with the same sensitivity to light and space that Strand would have accorded a grand vista" John Szarkowski, Looking at Photographs

This exceptional print by Paul Strand is to our knowledge the only platinum print in existence of this work which for the photographer is considered as the finest prints. Gelatin silver prints are in the collections of Paul Strand Archive/Aperture, The George Eastman House, Rochester and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

© Aperture Foundation, Inc., Paul Strand Archive