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Robert Frank’s “Trolley-New
Orleans”, Sets a New World Auction Record for
the Artist
Robert Frank’s “Trolley—New Orleans”, a
jewel-like multi-portrait photograph showing a
row of passengers segregated by color, age and
sex in a trolley car on Bourbon Street, took the
number one spot at “The Important Photographs
from a Private American Collection” sale at
Christie’s Rockefeller Plaza on Wednesday
evening the 17th of October. Taken
in 1955, the same year Rosa Parks refused to give
up her seat to a white man at the front of the
bus in Montgomery, Alabama, the straight-ahead
gaze of Frank’s camera captures the flip side of
the American dream in the 1950s South.
Transcending the distinction between media image
and aesthetic object – between art and
photojournalism – to make from a single pregnant
moment a complete and enduring image – Frank’s
superbly layered photograph is a stand-in for
what many believe to be his life’s crowning
achievement.
Scooped up for $623,400 by Peter MacGill, the
artist’s New York dealer (ghosting for a client
on his cell) one would be hard pressed to
acquire a more succinct representation of the
big issues of fear, alienation and isolation
facing Americans at the height of the cold war.
The widespread belief that American Communists
were conducting atomic espionage for the Soviet
Union fueled paranoia and broadened the gap
between the rich and the poor, blacks and
whites, and leaders and followers. This on top
of a race to see who could launch the world’s
first satellite into space all served as a
concrete reminder of one of the most disquieting
periods in American history. “Trolley—New
Orleans” is its portrayal.
Interest in the modest-in-size 8 by 10 inch
double weight, semi-gloss vintage photograph was
fierce due to both the stature of the image
within the oeuvre of the artist and the rarity
of prints made in close proximity to its 1955
exposure (see addenda). Additionally, there is
every indication – by the pinholes in the
corners, numerical markings on labels, size and
apparent age of the photograph – that the
gelatin silver print offered here was either the
one used in the making of the gravure printing
plates for the first French, Italian and
American editions of his seminal 83-image book,
“The Americans”, or a very rare print used in
the final stages of preparation.
“Trolley—New Orleans”, a photograph that
follows in the tradition of Lewis Hine and Jacob
Riis, served Frank as an important avenue for
expressing himself politically. The policy of
compelling racial groups to live apart from each
other – going to separate schools, the use of
separate social facilities, etc., was perfectly
captured symbolically by Frank’s sharp lens as
he walked up to that trolley and pointed his
Leica at this perfect site of institutionalized
Southern racism.
The photograph is actually composed of five
portraits. Starting from the front of the
trolley and reading left to right we have the
face of a bespectacled Caucasian man in a suit
whose head is hidden behind the light reflected
off the glass of his half-pulled-down window
giving him the appearance of being actually
whiter than white. The light creates the
illusion of a veil or hood over his face
increasing his untouchability and anonymity.
The middle-aged Caucasian matron immediately
behind him is dressed in a high collared severe
black cloth coat with what can only be described
as a scowl on her face. Her expression is
illustrative of someone looking at an uninvited
outsider (Frank himself) and sending out the
unmistakable message of ‘you don’t belong here’
or worse. The center window and the center of
the photograph show a five or six year old
Caucasian boy in a suit with white shirt and
bowtie and his younger sister (perhaps two) also
in her Sunday best looking out at Frank’s
camera. Their expressions are the most hopeful
in the photograph filled with an open curiosity
– his is much more intense than his younger
sister. But when you look at their hands you
can see what’s in their hearts. The boy’s right
hand is wrapped firmly around the white vertical
bar separating one compartment from the other
but is closest to the disdainful woman’s seat
directly in front of him and connecting him to
her. The little girl’s hands are both ‘in the
air’. She has, as yet, not really found her
‘rudder’. Although her body language faces
directly at Frank, her gaze is diverted slightly
to something just off to the lensman’s left.
Her mouth is slightly open. Perhaps she is in
the middle of saying Mama. The fourth window
in the trolley always elicits the most
commentary from critics and enthusiasts alike.
The African-American male in work shirt is
turned directly at Frank’s camera with an
expression that can be interpreted as equal
parts exhaustion, resignation, loneliness and
despair. There is something incredibly sad
about the potential of this proud and glorious
face that has been drained of light – it is a
face that only Frank could have caught on film
and perhaps is the symbolic failed promise of
America that people at the time just couldn’t
come to terms with. The final window (they
could also be looked at as separate frames on a
contact sheet) is a portrait of an
African-American woman looking out to camera
right – oblivious to Frank’s presence. Her
eyeglasses reflect the light/white from the sky
making her eyes impossible to see. Is this the
face of someone who has ceased wrestling with
the fractured realities of a life brought up in
an environment that says if you’re black and a
woman you have no relevance?
Reading the image from left to right we see a
hierarchical descent – white man, white woman,
white children, black man, black woman – all
isolated from one another and all seated as if
ranked by birthright. The trolley is of course
a metaphor for the world as Frank saw it on the
brink of annihilation. The passengers on this
vehicle are all part of a family that has no
relevance except as a collective lie. Frank’s
camera captured the profound tensions he saw in
all strata of American society during the
outwardly optimistic 1950s and did so with an
uncompromising purity that almost masks the bite
that his images possess. Frank’s sad song about
America tells us that no matter how different we
seem to be from one another we are all on a
journey through time together – each of us
occupying our own space but sharing a destiny
and destination. If “Trolley—New Orleans” is a
portrait of the America that man most wishes to
hide, Robert Frank captured it and forever
changed that way we feel about ourselves.
commissioned by Marla Hamburg Kennedy from
HK Photography and
Contemporary Art.
Robert Frank’s The Americans,
1955-1956
(auction prices from spring 2003 through fall
2007 at Sotheby’s, Christie’s & Phillips de Pury
& Co.)
[Note: Image and plate numbers correspond to the
second SCALO Edition 1994. Originally published
as “Les Americains” by Robert Delpire, Paris,
1958. First published in the U.S. by Grove
Press in New York in 1959].
1) Parade – Hoboken, New Jersey,
1955 [image #1, plate #11 /2 windows, flag,
heads hidden]
Oct. 16, 2004 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08018
/ printed 1966 / 8 x 12 ¼ in. / Lot #156 / est.:
$80,000-$120,000 / realized: $198,400.
Apr. 26, 2006 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040106 / printed c. 1970 /
8 ½ x 13 in. / Lot #163 / est.: $50,000-$70,000
/ realized: $96,000.
Apr. 23, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1825
/ printed 1970s / 9 x 13 ¾ in. / Lot #239 /
est.: $50,000-$70,000 / realized: $108,000.
Apr. 24, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. / 27
Exceptional Photographs, NY040007 / printed
c. 1970 / 12 ½ x 18 1/8 in. / Lot #17 /
est.: $70,000-$90,000 / realized: $138,000.
Oct. 17, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040307 / printed c. 1960 /
6 1/8 x 9 ½ in. / Lot #127 / est.:
$70,000-$90,000 / realized: $84,000.
2) City Fathers – Hoboken, New Jersey,
1955 [image #2, plate #13 /kissing politician,
top hats]
Oct 17, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
Photographs, NY040403 / printed later / 9 x 11 ½
in. / Lot #40 / est.: $40,000-$60,000 /
realized: $35,000.
Oct. 12, 2005 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1560
/ printed c. 1970 / 8 ½ x 12 ¾ in. / Lot
#64 / est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized:
$45,600.
April 23, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1825
/ printed c. 1970 / 8 ¾ x 13 1/8 in. /
Lot #226 / est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized:
$38,400.
3) Rodeo – Detroit,
1955 [image #5, plate #19 /cowboy with cigar]
Oct. 20, 2003 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1287
/ printed later / 9 1/8 x 13 ½ in. / Lot #115 /
est.: $8,000-$12,000 / realized: $8,000.
Oct. 17, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08227
/ printed later / 8 5/8 x 12 5/8 in. / Lot #206
/ est.: $12,000-$18,000 / realized: $18,000.
Apr. 24, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1825
/ printed c. 1980 / 9 ¾ x 14 ¾ in. / Lot
#383 / est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized:
bought in.
Oct. 17, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040307 / printed c. 1980 /
9 ¾ x 14 ¾ in. / Lot #111 / est.:
$15,000-$20,000 / realized: $18,000.
4) Movie Premiere – Hollywood,
1956 [image #9, plate #27 /anonymous blond in
profile with white fur]
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / printed 1970s / 13 x 8 5/8 in. / Lot #10
/ est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized: $49,000.
5) New York City,
1955-1956 [image #12, plate #33 /3
transvestites]
Oct 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / vintage - with brown stains and tiny
black dots in the margins / 11 x 7 ½ in. / Lot
#34 / est.: $40,000-$60,000 / realized:
bought in (hit $28,000 before being passed).
6) Charleston, South Carolina,
1956 [image #13, plate #34 /black nanny with
white baby]
Oct. 18, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
Photographs, NY040403 / printed later / 8 ½ x 12
¾ in. / Lot #242 / est.: $30,000-$50,000 /
realized: $32,000.
7) Ranch Market – Hollywood,
1955-1956 [image #14, plate #37 /waitress with
$0.18 hotdog sign]
April 23, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1825
/ printed 1970s / 8 ¼ x 12 ½ in. / Lot #208 /
est.: $20,000-$30,000 / realized: $18,000.
8) Butte, Montana,
1955 [image #15, plate #39 /mom and 2 kids
looking out auto window]
Oct. 17, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040307 / printed c. 1960 /
6 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. / Lot #132 / est.:
$10,000-$15,000 / realized: $30,000.
9) Yom Kippur – East River, New York City,
1955 [image #16, plate #41 /scull caps, hats on
ferry]
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / vintage / 9 x 13 ½ in. / Lot #27 / est.:
$30,000-$50,000 / realized: $85,000.
10) Fourth of July – Jay, New York,
1955 [image #17, plate #43 /flag hanging with 2
girls in park]
Oct. 20, 2003 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1287
/ printed 1970s / 12 ¼ x 8 in. / Lot #112 /
est.: $12,000-$18,000 / realized: $24,000.
Oct. 6, 2005 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040205 / printed c. 1970 /
18 ¾ x 12 ¾ in. / Lot #19 / est.:
$30,000-$50,000 / realized: $38,400.
Oct.12, 2005 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1560 /
printed c. 1970 / 11 7/8 x 8 in. / Lot
#140 / est.: $20,000-$30,000 / realized:
$50,400.
11) Trolley – New Orleans,
1955 [image #18, plate #45 /racist traditions
run deep]
Feb. 15, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs From The Metropolitan Museum Of Art,
Including Works From The Gilman Paper Company
Collection, N08165 / printed c. 1977 / 9
x 13 ¾ in. / Lot #103 / est.: $25,000-$35,000 /
realized: $114,000.
Oct. 17, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08227
/ printed 1977 / 12 x 19 in. / Lot #205 / est.:
$80,000-$120,000 / realized: $204,000.
Oct.15, 2007 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08349 /
printed c. 1986 / 6 x 9 ¼ in. / Lot #3 /
est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized: $91,000.
Oct.17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs From A Private American Collector,
#2076 / vintage / 6 1/8 x 9 3/8 in. / Lot #16 /
est.: $150,000-$250,000 / realized: $623,400.
12) Canal Street
– New Orleans,
1955 [image #19, plate #47 /same strip as
“Trolley”- New Orleans”, across street]
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collector,
#2076 / c. 1962 / 9 ½ x 13 ½ in. / Lot
#17 / est.: $40,000-$60,000 / realized:
$43,000.
13) Rooming House – Bunker Hill, Los Angeles,
1955-1956 [image #20, plate #49 /headless man
under wooden stairs]
Apr. 26, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 / 12 ½ x 8 in. / Lot #133 / est.:
$5,000-$7,000 / realized: $15,000.
14) Café – Beaufort, South Carolina,
1955 [image #22, plate #53 /juke Box and baby on
floor]
Oct. 16, 2004 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08018
/ printed in 1977 / 11 ½ x 17 ½ in. / Lot #160 /
est.: $8,000-$12,000 / realized: $19,200.
Apr. 24, 2006 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1652
/ printed before 1962 / 8 x 11 ¾ in. / Lot #6 /
est.: $30,000-$50,000 / realized: $60,000.
15) View from Hotel Window – Butte, Montana,
1956 [image #26, plate #61 /through curtains]
Apr. 25, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 / 8 3/8 x 12 9/16 in. / Lot #39 /
est.: $5,000-$7.000 / realized: $21,000.
16) Metropolitan Life Insurance Building – New
York City,
1955 [image #27, plate #63 /newsstand]
Apr. 26, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 /13 5/16 x 9 1/4 in. / Lot #131 /
est.: $5,000-$7,000 / realized: $13,000.
Apr. 24, 2004 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040204 / printed later / 12 ¾ x 8
½ in. / Lot #86 / est.: $9,000-$12,000 /
realized: $7,500.
17) Jehovah’s Witness – Los Angeles,
1955-1956 [image #28, plate #65 /man in suit
with Awake!]
Apr. 24, 2006 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1652
/ near vintage / 12 7/8 x 8 ½ in. / Lot #3 /
est.: $20,000-$30,000 / realized: $78,000.
18) U.S. 91, Leaving Blackfoot, Idaho,
1955 [image #32, plate #73 /a.k.a. “Hitchhikers
– Going to Butte, Montana”- 2 men looking out
front window interior of car]
Oct. 6, 2005 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040205 / printed 1970s / 8 x 12
in. / Lot #15 / est.: $9,000-$12,000 / realized:
$18,000.
19) Covered Car – Long Beach, California,
1956 [image #34, plate #77 /palm trees, covered
car]
Apr. 25, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 / 9 ¼ x 13 9/16 in. / Lot #49 /
est.: $5,000-$7,000 / realized: $46,000.
Oct. 20, 2003 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1287
/ printed later / 8 ¾ x 13 3/8 in. / Lot #221 /
est.: $10,000-$15,000 / realized: $20,000.
Apr. 27, 2004 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from a Private Collection, N07986 /
printed in the 1950s or 1960s / 6 5/8 x 10 in. /
Lot #5 / est.: $15,000-$25,000 / realized:
$78,000.
Apr. 26, 2005 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1502
/ printed later / 9 ¼ x 14 in. / Lot #47 / est.:
$20,000-$30,000 / realized: $24,000.
Feb. 15, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Including Works from the Gilman Paper Company
Collection, N08165 / printed c. 1977 / 9
¼ x 14 in. / Lot #100 / est.: $20,000-$30,000 /
realized: $60,000.
Oct. 18, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1893
/ printed 1970s / 9 x 13 3/8 in. / Lot #421 /
est.: $30,000-$50,000 / realized: $79,000.
20) Car Accident – U.S. 66, between Winslow and
Flagstaff, Arizona,
1955-1956 [image #35, plate #79 /covered body -
party of 4 look on]
April 28, 2005 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040105 / printed c. 1970 /
8 5/8 x 12 ¾ in. / Lot #217 / est.:
$9,000-$12,000 / realized: $16,800.
Oct. 17, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08227
/ printed c. 1965 / 8 ¼ x 12 ¾ in. / Lot
#202 / est.: $12,000-$18,000 / realized:
$19,200.
April 25, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040107 / printed c. 1975 /
8 x 12 3/8 in. / Lot #120 / est.: $9,000-$12,000
/ realized: $9,000.
21) U.S. 285, New Mexico,
1955 [image #36, plate #81 /highway to infinity
– vertical]
Feb. 15, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Including Works from the Gilman Paper Company
Collection, N08165 / probably printed before
1970 / 11 ½ x 7 5/8 in. / Lot #101 / est.:
$25,000-$35,000 / realized: $156,000.
Apr. 25, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040107 / printed c. 1975 /
13 ½ x 9 ¼ in. / Lot #117 / est.:
$20,000-$30,000 / realized: $84,000.
Oct. 15, 2007 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08349
/ printed c. 1986 / 8 ¾ x 6 1/8 in. / Lot
#2 / est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized:
$44,200.
22) Bar – Detroit,
1955 [alternate-vertical of horizontal,
image #37, plate #83, Washington & Lincoln
portraits and flag]
Oct. 18, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1893
/ printed later / 12 ¾ x 8 ½ in. / Lot #228 /
est.: $15,000-$25,000 / realized: $32,200.
23) Barber Shop through Screen Door –
McClellanville, South Carolina,
1955 [image #38, plate #85]
Apr. 26, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 / 8 5/8 x 13 in. / Lot #132 /
est.: $5,000-$7,000 / realized: $26,000.
Feb. 15, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Including Works from the Gilman Paper Company
Collection, N08165 / printed c. 1977 / 9
¾ x 14 ½ in. / Lot #102 / est.: $20,000-$30,000
/ realized: $120,000.
24) Backyard – Venice West, California,
1955-1956 [image #39, plate #87 /flag, abandoned
car, garden growth]
Oct. 20, 2003 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1287
/ printed 1977 / 8 1/8 x 12 in. / Lot #220 /
est.: $3,000-$5,000 / realized: $3,200.
25) Newburgh, New York,
1955 [image #40, plate #89 /biker looking back
over shoulder]
Apr. 24, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. / 27
Exceptional Photographs, NY040007 / printed
c. 1970 / oversized 18 ¾ x 12 3/8 in. / Lot
#18 / est.: $50,000-$70,000 / realized:
$108,000.
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / printed 1970s / 12 ½ x 8 ¼ in. / Lot #35
/ est.: $40,000-$60,000 / realized: $91,000.
26) Assembly Line – Detroit,
1955 [image #50, plate #109]
(later selected variant - crisp focus):
Apr. 27, 2005 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08086
/ printed in 1977 / 9 x 13 ¼ in. / Lot #156 /
est.: $6,000-$9,000 / realized: $18,000.
(later selected variant - crisp focus):
Apr. 25, 2006 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1777
/ printed later / 8 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. / Lot #184
/ est.: $20,000-$30,000 / realized: $42,000.
(original image - slightly out-of-focus –
replaced in 1978): Apr. 24, 2007 / Christie’s /
Photographs, #1825 / 9 ½ x 14 in. / Lot #310 /
est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized: $33,600.
27) Salt Lake City, Utah,
1955 [image #54, plate #117 /postings in sign
behind glass – steps to house]
April 26, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 / 10 x 6 ½ in. / Lot #130 / est.:
$5,000-$7,000 / realized: $5,200.
28) Beaufort, South Carolina,
1955-1956 [image #55, plate #119 /woman in chair
in field with cross]
Oct 15, 2004 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1423 /
near vintage / 5 3/8 x 8 in. / Lot #166 / est.:
$20,000-$30,000 / realized: $47,800.
29) Chinese Cemetery – San Francisco,
1955-1957 [image #57, plate #123 /fallen
funereal flowers]
April 26, 2007 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08309
/ printed no later than 1962 / 11 5/8 x 7 ½ in.
/ Lot #89 / est.: $10,000-$15,000 / realized:
$22,800.
30) Political Rally – Chicago,
1956 [image #58, plate #125 /headless tuba &
flag]
Oct. 17, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
Photographs, NY040403 / printed 1976 / 13 ¼ x 8
11/16 in. / Lot #39 / est.: $40,000-$60,000 /
realized: $42,000.
Apr. 27, 2004 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from a Private Collection, N07986 /
printed prior to 1962 / 15 5/8 x 10 ¼ in. / Lot
#7 / est.: $20,000-$30,000 / realized:
$131,200.
Apr. 22, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08189
/ printed later / 13 ¼ x 9 in. / Lot #178 /
est.: $30,000-$50,000 / realized: $84,000.
Apr. 24, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1825
/ printed 1970s / 11 3/8 x 7 3/8 in. / Lot #384
/ est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized: $72,000.
Oct. 15, 2007 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08349
/ printed c. 1986 / 8 7/8 x 6 in. / Lot
#1 / est.: $25,000-$35,000 / realized:
$38,200.
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / printed c. 1970 / 11 3/8 x 7 3/8
in. / Lot #1 / est.: $50,000-$70,000 / realized:
$91,000.
31) Television Studio – Burbank, California (a.k.a
CBS Studio),
1956 [image #60, plate #129 /girl on set in
chair & on monitor]
Oct. 17, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08227
/ probably printed in the 1970s / 8 x 12 in. /
Lot #204 / est.: $15,000-$20,000 / realized:
$28,800.
32) Los Angeles,
1955 [image #61, plate #131 /neon arrow and
alley, lone figure walking]
Apr. 26, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 / 13 7/16 x 9 in./ Lot #129 /
est.: $5,000-$7,000 / realized: $28,000.
Oct. 17, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, N08227
/ printed later / 13 ¼ x 8 1/8 in. / Lot #207 /
est.: $60,000-$80,000 / realized: bought in
(hit $48,000 before being passed).
33) Movie Premiere – Hollywood,
1956 [image #66, plate #141 /Kim Novak
out-of-focus]
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collector,
#2076 / printed 1970s / 12 3/8 x 8 3/8 in. / Lot
#11 / est.: $25.000-$35,000 / realized:
$37,000.
34) Charity Ball – New York City,
1955-1956 [image #67, plate #143 /rich matron
kissed on cheek]
Oct. 18, 2006 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1713
/ printed 1970s / 12 ¾ x 8 ¼ in. / Lot #222 /
est.: $20,000-$30,000 / realized: $36,000.
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / vintage / 12 1/8 x 8 in. / Lot #4 /
est.: $40,000-$60,000 / realized: $73,000.
35) Cafeteria – San Francisco,
1956 [image #68, plate #145 /lone man eating at
table]
Apr. 25, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040107 / printed 1960s / 13 ¼ x 8
7/8 in. / Lot #204 / est.: $10,000-$15,000 /
realized: $13,200.
Oct. 18, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1893
/ printed 1970s / 12 3/8 x 8 3/8 in. / Lot #245
/ est.: $20,000-$30,000 / realized: bought in.
36) Coffee Shop, Railway Station – Indianapolis,
1955 [image #70, plate #149 /lone waitress
behind counter with stainless steel & fan]
April 26, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
The Seagram Collection of Photographs, NY040203
/ printed 1973 / 7 x 10 ½ in. / Lot #134 / est.:
$5,000-$7,000 / realized: $20,000.
37) Chattanooga, Tennessee,
1955 [image #71, plate #151 /early telephoto
shot of couple with curls on street]
Oct. 18, 2006 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1713
/ printed c. 1960 / 8 7/8 x 13 ¼ in. /
Lot #157 / est.: $40,000-$60,000 / realized:
bought in.
38) Belle Isle – Detroit,
1955 [image #73, plate #155 /bespectacled
pregnant woman with crossed arms & tree near
water]
Oct 20, 2003 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1287 /
printed 1970s / 6 ¼ x 9 ½ in. / Lot #225 / est.:
$5,000-$7,000 / realized: $8,500.
Oct. 18, 2006 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1713
/ late 1970s / 9 ¼ x 13 ½ in. / Lot #63 / est.:
$30,000-$50,000 / realized: $28,800.
Oct. 19, 2006 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040206 / printed 1970s / 8 ¾ x 13
in. / Lot #150 / est.: $25,000-$35,000 /
realized: bought in.
39) Courthouse Square – Elizabethville, North
Carolina,
1956 [image #75, plate #159 /2 men sitting at
base of tree-one wearing loud fern shirt]
Oct. 19, 2006 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040206 / printed 1960s / 11 5/8 x
7 ¾ in. / Lot #147 / est.: $12,000-$18,000 /
realized: $14,400.
40) Detroit,
1955 [image #78, plate #165 /elderly couple
framed in driver’s window of white car]
Oct. 18, 2003 / Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg /
Photographs, NY040403 / printed 1977 / 9 x 13 ½
in. / Lot #241 / est.: $15,000-$20,000 /
realized: bought in.
41) Chicago,
1956 [image #79, plate #167 /Christ died for our
sins sticker on rear windshield of Chevy]
Oct. 12, 2005 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1560
/ vintage, or near vintage as logo stamp
‘Agfa-Brovira’ on paper was manufactured prior
to 1955 / 13 ½ x 9 3/8 in. / Lot #134 / est.:
$18,000-$25,000 / realized: $57,600.
Feb. 15, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Including Works from the Gilman Paper Company
Collection, N08165 / printed c. 1977 / 14
¼ x 9 7/8 in. / Lot #106 / est.: $10,000-$15,000
/ realized: $60,000.
Feb. 14, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs from
the Estate of Thomas T. Solley, #1867 / printed
late 1960s / 13 ¾ x 8 ½ in. / Lot #149 / est.:
$30,000-$50,000 / price realized: $48,000.
42) City Hall – Reno, Nevada,
1956 [image #81, plate #171 /newly wed couple
embracing as if dancing]
Apr. 24, 2007 / Christie’s / Photographs, #1825
/ printed c. 1962 / 8 7/8 x 13 ¼ in. /
lot #473 / est. $25,000-$35,000 / price
realized: $66,000.
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / printed 1970s / 9 x 13 ¼ in. / Lot #36 /
est.: $30,000-$50,000 / realized: $58,600.
43) Indianapolis,
1956 [image #82, plate #173 /man and woman on
motorcycle]
Apr. 27, 2004 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from a Private Collection, N07986 /
printed 1960s / 8 ½ x 12 3/8 in. / lot #10 /
est.: $15,000-$25,000 / realized: $33,600.
Feb. 15, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Important
Photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Including Works from the Gilman Paper Company
Collection, N08165 / printed c. 1977 / 9
¼ x 13 5/8 in. / Lot #104 / est.:
$10,000-$15,000 / realized: $102,000.
Oct. 17, 2006 / Sotheby’s / Photographs, #8227 /
printed later / 8 5/8 x 12 ¾ in. / Lot #203 /
est.: $60,000-$80,000 / $60,000.
Oct. 17, 2007 / Christie’s / Important
Photographs from a Private American Collection,
#2076 / printed 1970s / 8 5/8 x 12 7/8 in. / Lot
#37 / est.: $40,000-$60,000 / $46,600.
44) U.S. 90, En Route to Del Rio, Texas,
1955-1956 [image #83, plate #175 /last image of
book, Mary & Pablo shot through front
windshield]
Apr. 27, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. /
Photographs, NY040105 / printed c. 1970 /
13 ½ x 9 ¼ in. / Lot #33 / est.: $25,000-$35,000
/ $102,000.
Apr. 24, 2007 / Phillips de Pury & Co. / 27
Exceptional Photographs, NY040007 / printed
c. 1960 / 18 ½ x 12 1/8 in. / Lot #16 /
est.: $300,000-$400,000 / realized: $516,000.
***************************************************************************
Re-Cap
Since the spring of 2003, 44 of the total
83 images from The Americans have come to
market.
A total of 90 prints of those 44 images
were offered.
7
prints failed to sell / 83 images sold
The lowest price paid for a print was
Backyard – Venice West, California,
1955-1956 (printed 1977). It sold Oct. 20, 2003
at Christie’s, “Photographs”, #1287, Lot #220
(pre-sale est.: $3,000-$5,000) for $3,200.
The highest price paid for a print was
Trolley – New Orleans, 1955 (vintage). It
sold Oct. 17, 2007 at Christie’s, “Important
Photographs From A Private American Collector”,
#2076, Lot #16 (pre-sale est.:
$150,000-$250,000) for $623,400.
Gross value of all prints sold (including
buyer’s premium)
$5,503,800.
Per lot average (including buyer’s premium)
$66,310.84.
13
prints sold for six figures.
1)
$623,400 / Oct. 17, ’07 / Trolley-New Orleans
2)
$516,000 / Apr. 24, ’07 / U.S. 90 En Route
3)
$204,000 / Oct. 17, ’06 / Trolley-New Orleans
4)
$198,400 / Oct. 16, ’04 / Parade-Hoboken, N.J.
5)
$156,000 / Feb. 15, ’06 / U.S. 285 New Mexico
6)
$138,000 / Apr. 24, ’07 / Parade-Hoboken, N.J.
7)
$131,200 / Apr. 27. ’04 / Political
Rally-Chicago
8)
$120,000 / Feb. 15, ’06 / Barber Shop-McClellanville
9)
$114,000 / Feb. 15, ’06 / Trolley-New Orleans
10)
$108,000 / Apr. 23, ’07 / Parade-Hoboken, N.J.
11)
$108,000 / Apr. 24, ’07 / Newburgh, N.J.
12)
$102,000 / Feb. 15, ’06 / Indianapolis
13)
$102,000 / Apr. 27, ’07 / U.S. 90 En Route
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