Photographs & Photobooks: May 2021 Auction Highlights
At Auction May 27, 2021
Exploring the thematic and visual diversity of the photographic medium, this auction covers twentieth-century masters as well as contemporary practitioners and items from the visual vernacular: albums, archives, and individual objects. Important social documentary images from both Europe and America, early color work, and vernacular material range from snapshots recording historic events, photojournalism, panoramas, mugshots, and NASA imagery. We are proud to feature vintage and rare work by several important women practitioners, including Imogen Cunningham, Alma Lavenson, and Berenice Abbott. Important chroniclers of the American scene include Roy DeCarava, Robert Frank, and others. And finally, we offer an iconic Peter Beard photograph Cheetah Orphans in Mweiga near Nyeri.
Lot 24: Hansel Mieth, Santiago Island, Caribbean (Mad Monkey), silver print, 1939. $5,000 to $7,500.
Early American Documentary & WPA-Era Photography
Portraits
Nudes
20th-Century European Photography
Lot 202: Berenice Abbott, New York, complete portfolio of 12 silver prints, 1931-38, printed 1979. Estimate $25,000 to $35,000.
New York City
Mid-Century American Photography
Color Photography
Vernacular Photography
What You Need to Know on Auction Day
This auction will be held live and conducted remotely.
There will not be bidding in the room, though we accept order bids, and interested buyers will be able to participate live via the Swann Galleries App. The app is available in the App Store and on Google Play, which can also be accessed on a desktop at live.swanngalleries.com.
Please note: phone bidding registrations will close the day before the sale at 4pm.
At this time, our exhibition and auction location at 104 East 25th Street is closed to the public. Private viewings are available by appointment only, and must be arranged in advance. To make an appointment please contact the specialist.
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