This catalog brings together three somewhat related groups of photographic books. The first section, of reference books, includes histories, indexes, anthologies, and other titles that one is not likely to read cover to cover. Rather, these publications tend to be pulled off the shelf when one is searching for reliable information about an individual, movement, or period of photography. The technical section features books on photographic processes, equipment, working methods, and other issues of technique. And the last group of books addresses collections of photographs. These comprise both private holdings and institutional collections, along with some catalogs that accompanied exhibitions of photographs based in particular cities. As always, some of these items are signed and contain related pieces of ephemera.
REFERENCE
- AMERICAN ANNUAL of PHOTOGRAPHY. Christian A. Peterson, Index to the American Annual of Photography, Minneapolis: author, 1996. Softcover, 9 ¾ x 7 ¼ inches, 148 pages.
The American Annual of Photography was the longest-running and most significant photographic yearly published in the United States. It first appeared in 1887 and by the time of its demise in 1953 covered over half the lifespan of the photographic medium. It remains today a rich resource on three generations of photographers. Included were such early figures as Edward Bierstadt and Napoleon Sarony, pictorialists Gertrude Käsebier and Clarence H. White, and twentieth-century masters like Minor White. This index encompasses every credited article and photographic reproduction in the annual’s sixty-seven volumes; over 3,500 names are alphabetically listed with citations. Privately printed in an edition of 500 copies. Mint condition. $10
- American Bicentennial Photography and Film Project, 1975. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Employment, Poverty, and Migratory Labor, of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, United States Senate, Ninety-Fourth Congress, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975. Softcover, 9 x 6 inches, 234 pages, halftone illustrations.
This unusual item comprises the official transcript of public hearings and a bill introduced by Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale to fund the National Endowment for the Arts to the tune of $5,000,000 to “employ photographers and film makers to make portraits of life throughout America during the bicentennial year.” The hearing, convened on September 29, 1975, included prepared statements and a question-and-answer period. Much attention was given to the importance of the government-funded Farm Security Administration (F.S.A.) photograph of the 1930s. Among the expert witnesses who testified were photography curators James Enyeart (Lawrence, Kansas), Ted Hartwell (Minneapolis), and John Szarakowski (New York). Includes a lengthy appendix of supporting materials.
Near fine condition. $25
3. ASSOCIATION of INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY ART DEALERS. Membership Directory & Illustrated Catalog. Softcovers, 9 x 6 inches, unpaginated, halftone illustrations (some in color).
Every year this group, known as AIAPD, presents a fair in New York, where thousands of original photographic prints are available for sale. Its annual catalog lists all its members, features information on those exhibiting, includes advertisements from related businesses, and sports an extensive index to the photographers represented.
Offered here are the years 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2005 (25th anniversary), 2008, 2011, 2013. Group of 8. $50
4. AUCTION CATALOGUES.
Contemporary Photography, Vintage Photographs, Books and Periodicals, Equipment, Rochester,
New York: George Eastman House, October 1-20, 1977. Softcover, 8 ½ x 5 ½
inches, 88 pages, halftone illustrations, 525 lots.
Contemporary Photographs, Rochester, New York: George Eastman House, October 14,
1978. Softcover, 9 ¾ x 6 ¼ inches, unpaginated, halftone illustrations. Ranging
from Robert Adams to Myron Wood, there are 300 lots, with prices realized written
in for most of them.
Fine Photographs, San Francisco: Butterfield & Butterfield, October 15, 1987. Softcover,
11 x 8 ½ inches, unpaginated, halftone illustrations, 350 lots.
Photographs, London: Bloomsbury, May 22, 2008. Softcover, 11 ¾ x 8 ¼ inches, 160 pages,
halftone illustrations (some in color), 230 lots.
Group of 4. $25
5. BONI, Albert. Photographic Literature, 1960-1970: An International Bibliographic Guide to General & Specialized Literature on Photographic Processes; Techniques; Theory; Chemistry; Physics; Apparatus; Materials & Applications; Industry; History, Aesthetics, etc., Hastings-on-Hudson, New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1972. Hardcover (gold-stamped blue cloth), 10 ½ x 7 inches, 536 pages, unillustrated, dustjacket.
As the lengthy subtitle of this volume indicates, this is an exhaustive study of the subject. It features over 20,000 publications under 2,900 main subject headings and includes an author index of 6,000 names. Given the explosion of photography books published since this was issued in 1972, an update is unthinkable. In fact, Boni preceded this book with another guide covering the pre-history of photography through the 1950s. Tiny wear to tips and a gouge to top of back cover, in dustjacket that is torn and missing a small piece. $50
6. CAMERA WORK. Jonathan Green, “Camera Work:” A Critical Anthology, Millerton, New York: Aperture, 1973. Hardcover (gold-stamped black cloth),
12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 376 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
This essential reference work remains the most comprehensive book on Alfred Stieglitz’s seminal quarterly, published between 1903 and 1917. In addition to Green’s essay, the book includes reprints of over one hundred articles from Camera Work (organized in four chronological sections), biographies of contributing artists, authors, and photographers, a bibliography, and five indices to the periodical. Near fine condition, in a dustjacket that is lightly rubbed and scratched (as usual, due to delicate metallic gold ink). $75
7. CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHERS, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982. Hardcover (gold-stamped black cloth), 12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 838 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Edited by George Walsh, Colin Naylor, and Michael Hel, a weighty book that includes detailed information on 650 photographers, some of them recently deceased. Each entry comprises a biography, list of individual and group shows, names of museums that own their work, and often comments by the photographers. It is truly international in scope, beginning with the American James Abbe and ending with Piet Zwart of the Netherlands. Tiny edgewear, in lightly rubbed dustjacket. $75
8. CHRISTIE’S. 150 Years of Photography: Tuesday, April 25, 1989, New York: Christie’s, 1989. Hardcover (silver-stamped black cloth), 10 ¼ x 8 inches, 288 pages, 684 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Christie’s celebrated photography’s sesquicentennial with this auction catalog. Naturally, it covered the medium’s full history, beginning with lots by inventor William Henry Fox Talbot and ending with contemporary photographers like Sandy Skoglund and Jan Grover. The cover features a modernist self-portrait by Pierre Dubreuil; the most pricey lot was a photomontage by El Lissitzky, which fetched nearly $64,000. Laid in is the list of results and a complimentary sheet from Claudia Gropper, the photo expert at Christie’s. Near fine condition, in dustjacket with tiny wear and small indentations. $25
9. CHRISTIE’S. Auction catalogues.
Most measure about 10 ½ x 8 ¼ inches, comprise 400 lots, and black-and-white and color halftone illustrations.
1998: October 5.
1999: October 4, October 5.
2004: April, 27, October 15.
2010: April 15 (General), April 15 (Baio Collection).
Group of 7. $35
10. COLNAGHI, P. & D. Photography: The First Eighty Years, London: P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., 1976. Softcover, 9 ¾ x 7 ¼ inches, 262 pages, halftone illustrations.
This is an early, important sales catalog, offering 431 items. They are arranged chronologically in the following sections: Pre-Photographic Material; Early Photographic Papers; Daguerreotypes; Early English Photography; French Photography; British Pictorial, Genre and Landscape Photography; British Portrait Photography; Miscellaneous Books, Albums and Ephemera; Italian Photography; Turkish and Greek Photography; American Photography; Canadian Photography; English Topographical and Documentary Photography; Sun Artists; the Naturalists; and the Photo-Secession. Among the offerings were a copy of Talbot’s Pencil of Nature, prints by Atget for $1,200, portraits by Cameron for less than $1,000, Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the War, a complete set of Muybridge’s Animal Locomotion, and platinum prints by Peter Henry Emerson for $1,600. Well-researched text and descriptions by Valerie Lloyd, with price list laid in. Covers rubbed and lightly worn. $35
11. CZECH Photography. Peter Balajka, editor, Encyklopedie Českých a Slovenských Fotografu, Prague, Czech Republic: ASCO, 1993. Hardcover (black-stamped yellow cloth), 9 ½ x 6 ¾ inches, 456 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket. Signed.
This is an extensive biographical encyclopedia of Czech and Slovak photographers, the first of its kind. Spanning the entire history of photography, it features over 600 entries, from Ludovít Absolon to Peter Zupník, and about 700 reproductions. Also included is a section on photography clubs, a chronology, and bibliography. In addition to Balajka, the contributors are Vladimír Burgus, Antonín Dufek, and four other scholars. Though the text is in Czech, it is still a valuable reference tool. This copy signed and dated by the editor. Fine condition. $100
12. DAVAL, Jean-Luc. Photography: History of an Art, New York: Rizzoli, 1982. Hardcover (gold-stamped green cloth), 13 ½ x 9 ¾ inches, 270 pages, dustjacket, cardboard slipcase.
A history of the medium from a Swiss viewpoint; the book was originally published in Geneva, in French. Part of a series that also addressed drawings, paintings, and other arts, and as a consequence, draws on examples from other media, especially beginning in the 1960s. Fine condition. $50
13. DEALER CATALOGS.
During the 1980s, many private photography dealers and galleries issued catalogs of selections from their inventory. Many of those below include inserted price lists, sometimes giving now surprisingly low figures. As is often said, read them and weep.
Benteler Galleries. Photography: Europe 1, Houston, 1981. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 76 pages, 52 halftone illustrations.
Ehlers, Carol/Allan Frumkin Gallery. 1981 Catalogue of Recent Acquisitions, Chicago, 1981.
Softcover, 9 x 5 ¾ inches, 24 pages, 21 halftone illustrations.
Family Album. The Family Album Catalog: Rare and Contemporary Photography, Westport,
Connecticut, c. 1975. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 96 pages, 560 halftone images.
Freidus, Robert. Catalogue: Robert Freidus Gallery, New York, 1979. Softcover, 10 x 6 ¾
inches, 32 pages, halftone illustrations.
Frumkin, Allan. Photographs and Photographic Material From 1840-1972, Chicago, 1973.
Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 24 pages, halftone illustrations.
Graphics International. 19th and 20th Century Prints/Photographs/Drawings, Washington,
D.C., 1972. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, unpaginated, 150 halftone illustrations.
Halsted Gallery. 1977 Catalogue: The Halsted 831 Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan, 1977.
Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 66 pages, halftone illustrations.
Hawkins, G. Ray. Photo Bulletin: Volume 1, Number 9, Los Angeles, 1979. Tabloid
(newsprint), 17 ½ x 11 ½ inches, 16 pages, halftone illustrations.
Hawkins, G. Ray. Photo Bulletin: Volume 5, Number 1, Los Angeles, 1982. Softcover, 11 x
8 ½ inches, 24 pages, 39 halftone illustrations.
Hawkins, G. Ray. Photography Auction One, Los Angeles, 1983. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches,
32 pages, halftone illustrations.
Hawkins, G. Ray. Photography Auction Fifteen, Santa Monica, California, 1995. Softcover,
11 x 8 ½ inches, 48 pages, halftone illustrations.
Hertzmann, Paul M. Twentieth Century American Photographs and Books, San Francisco,
1981. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 32 pages, 58 halftone illustrations.
Koch, Robert. 1981-82 Catalogue: 19th & 20th Century Photographs, Berkeley, California,
1981. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 56 pages, 153 halftone illustrations.
Kicken, Rudolf. Katalog 6: Photographic Masterpieces, A Personal Selection, Köln, Germany,
1981. Softcover, 10 ¼ x 7 ½ inches, 64 pages, halftone illustrations.
Lee Gallery. Farm Security Administration Photographs From thee 1930’s, Winchester,
Massachusetts, 1997. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 16 pages, 40 halftone illustrations.
Lehr, Janet. Catalogue, New York, c. 1980. Softcover, 10 ¼ x 8 inches, 40 pages, 100
halftone illustrations.
Lehr, Janet. Catalogue 3, New York, c. 1980. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 46 pages, 191
halftone illustrations.
Light Gallery. Light: Contemporary Photographs, New York, 1976. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½
inches, 88 pages, halftone illustrations.
Light Gallery. Light, New York, 1981. Softcover, 10 x 8 inches, 96 pages, halftone
illustrations (some in color).
Photocollect. Photographs: Selections, Fall 1990, New York, 1990. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½
inches, 12 pages, 44 halftone illustrations.
Sander Gallery. Catalogue I: 20th Century Photography, Washington, D.C., 1979. Softcover,
10 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches, 80 pages, 105 halftone illustrations (some in color).
Schoelkopf, Robert. Photography Catalogue Number One, New York, c. 1975. Softcover, 11
x 8 ½ inches, 32 pages, 122 halftone illustrations.
Smith, Andrew. Catalog No. 1: The American West: 1870-1930, Albuquerque, 1980.
Softcover, 10 x 8 inches, 20 pages, halftone illustrations.
Visual Studies Workshop. Print Sale Catalog, Rochester, New York, c. 1980. Softcover,
8 ¼ x 5 ¼ inches, 24 pages, halftone illustrations.
Weston Gallery. Catalog 1978: The Weston Gallery Incorporated, Carmel, California, 1978.
Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 80 pages, 166 halftone illustrations (some in color).
Witkin Gallery. Catalogue IX: Fine Daguerreotypes and Books, New York, 1979. Softcover,
11 x 8 ½ inches, 44 pages, 41 halftone illustrations.
Group of 26: $250
14. EPSTEIN Collection. A Catalogue of the Epstean Collection on the History and Science of Photography and Its Applications Especially to the Graphic Arts, New York: Columbia University Press, 1937. Hardcover (gold-stamped blue cloth and paper over boards), 9 ¾ x 6 ¼ inches, unpaginated, line illustrations.
This is the catalog for the collection of photography books that Edward Epstean donated to Columbia. It comprises 1,418 entries in the following categories: General, Theoretical Foundations, Aesthetics, History, Technical Evolution, Equipment and Apparatus, Practice, Applications, Motion Pictures, Photomechanical Reproduction, and Color Photography. Previous owner’s small bookplate, and wear to tips and spine.
With: Authors and Short Title Index: Epstean Collection, New York: Columbia University, 1938. Softcover, 9 ¼ x 6 inches, 32 pages, unillustrated. Spine browned and small piece missing from cover.
Pair: $125
15. FRANK, Robert. Stuart Alexander, Robert Frank: A Bibliography, Filmography, and Exhibition Chronology, 1946-1985, Tucson: Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, 1986. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 208 pages, unillustrated.
To my knowledge, this is the most extensive bibliography on any photographer—one, who, of course, is worthy of it. Alexander gives us precisely 2,300 entries, arranged by year, and five very useful indexes. The yearly citations are arranged by the following categories: Books by Frank, Books that Include Frank, Films, Video, One-man Exhibitions, Group Exhibitions, Annuals, Periodicals, and Other. Near fine condition. $35
16. FRIEDMAN, Joseph S. History of Color Photography, Boston: American Photographic Publishing Company, 1944. Hardcover (gold-stamped red cloth), 9 ½ x 6 ½ inches, 516 pages, line illustrations, dustjacket.
“This monumental work records all the accumulated data of color photography from the days of the earliest theorizers and experimenters down to the year 1944. It explains in the fullest detail the many theories that have been propounded, and gives the history of the great variety of procedures by which different people have attempted to make them commercially available. Dr. Freidman’s long training and experience have specially fitted him for the stupendous task of finding and arranging in an orderly sequence the records of both the achievements and the disappointments of all past and present workers in this field.” Near fine condition, in price-clipped dustjacket with a little wear, chips, and small tears. $35
17. GERNSHEIM, Helmut and Alison. The History of Photography, From the Camera Obscura to the Beginning of the Modern Era, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1969. Hardcover (gold-stamped black cloth), 11 ¾ x 8 ¾ inches, 600 pages, 390 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
The Gernsheim’s massive history up until about 1910, published in the year of Alison’s death. Long considered authoritative on nineteenth-century photography, it covers the medium’s prehistory, invention, and then numerous formats, processes, and movements, ending with pictorialism around World War I. Previous owner’s blindstamp on the title page and a small tape-repaired tear on the front of the dustjacket. $300
18. GERNSHEIM, Helmut. The Origins of Photography, New York: Thames & Hudson, 1982. Hardcover (silver-stamped black cloth), 11 ¼ x 10 inches, 280 pages, 191 duotone illustrations, dustjacket, slipcase.
Gernsheim’s in-depth study of the earliest years of the medium, beginning with its prehistory and going only until the 1850s. He covers heliography, the daguerreotype, and the calotype in Great Britain, Europe, America, and other countries. Among the photographers given much attention are the inventors Bayard, Daguerre, Niépce, and Talbot. This was the first installment in an anticipated revision of Gernsheim’s entire 1969 History. Mint condition, in shrink wrap. $125
19. GERNSHEIM, Helmut. The Rise of Photography, 1850-1880: The Age of Collodion, New York: Thames & Hudson, 1987. Hardcover (silver-stamped black cloth), 11 ¼ x 10 inches, 286 pages, 236 duotone and color illustrations, dustjacket.
This volume continues where the above one left off, at the middle of the nineteenth century, when wet-collodion negatives and albumen paper were invented. A perfect match to produce rich and finely detailed images, they represent much of the century’s photography—a true golden age. Major photographers of this period were Julia Margaret Cameron, Nadar, Carleton Watkins, Francis Frith, and Mathew Brady. Near fine condition, in dustjacket with tiny dents and folds. $125
20. GOLDSCHMIDT, Lucien, and Weston J. Naef. The Truthful Lens: A Survey of the Photographically Illustrated Book, 1844-1914, New York: Grolier Club, 1980. Hardcover (gold stamped black cloth with leather strip on spine), 11 ¼ x 8 ¾ inches, 244 pages, 172 halftone illustrations, slipcase.
This handsome production, issued without a dustjacket, was the first major investigation of the subject. It covers nearly two hundred publications that were illustrated with salt, albumen, and other original photographic prints. After essays by book dealer Lucien Goldschmidt and museum curator Weston Naef, the section of reproductions is organized by subjects such as portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. The catalogue includes detailed entries on such outstanding publications as Talbot’s Pencil of Nature (1844), Tenyard’s Egypte et Nubie (1858), Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the War (1866), Emerson’s Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads (1886), Curtis’s set, The North American Indian (1907-1930), Stieglitz’s periodical Camera Work (1903-1917), and Coburn’s New York (1910). This is a very important scholarly work and an essential reference for understanding both photographically illustrated books and nineteenth and early-twentieth-century photography in general. The text is letterpress printed and the book was issued in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. Mint condition, in slipcase, shrink wrap, and original shipping carton. $350
21. GREEN, Jonathan. American Photography: A Critical History, 1945 to the Present, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1984. Hardcover (silver-stamped black cloth), 12 x 9 ¼ inches, 248 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Green goes beyond just the photographs of the forty-year period he covers, to investigate the importance of exhibitions, curators, critics, news media, magazines, books, and the other arts. Among the fifteen chapters are entire ones devoted to “The Family of Man” exhibition, Aperture magazine, Robert Frank’s book The Americans, “The Painter as Photographer,” and “Photography as Printmaking.” A wide-ranging and culturally significant work. Fine condition. $35
22. GREENOUGH, Sarah, and Joel Snyder, David Travis, and Colin Westerbeck. On the Art of Fixing a Shadow: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Photography, Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, 1989. Hardcover (silver-stamped brown cloth), 10 x 12 ¼ inches, 510 pages, 387 halftone illustrations, dustjacket. Signed.
One of the more substantial publications to celebrate the sesquicentennial of photography in 1989. The curators divided up the medium into four sections, about which they wrote: “Inventing Photography, 1839-1879” by Snyder, “The Curious Contagion of the Camera, 1880-1918” by Greenough, “Ephemeral Truths, 1919-1945” by Travis, and “Beyond the Photographic Frame, 1946-1989” by Westerbeck. This copy signed on the title page by Sarah Greenough and David Travis. Near fine condition, in a sunned dustjacket. $75
23. HALL-DUNCAN, Nancy. The History of Fashion Photography, New York: Alpine, 1979. Hardcover (silver and blind-stamped maroon cloth), 12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 240 pages, 195 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Covering over a century of photography, this was the first systematic history of fashion photography. It addresses the genre’s beginnings and its machinations related to pictorialism, modernism, realism, and surrealism. Haute couture designer Yves Saint Laurent provided the preface and costume historian Robert Riley the foreword. Among the seventy photographers with richly detailed profiles are Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Baron Adolf de Meyer, Hiro, Horst P. Horst, Sarah Moon, Martin Munkacsi, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Edward Steichen, and Deborah Turbeville. Near fine condition. $35
24. HISTORY of PHOTOGRAPHY. History of Photography: A New Microfilm Collection, Woodbridge, Connecticut: Research Publications, 1978. Folder, 11 x 8 ½ inches, with five lose items.
This is a promotional piece for an extensive microfilm series that comprised 2,100 monographs and pamphlet titles and close to 125 periodicals. It claimed that the project was “the most comprehensive collection of materials for research and study of the history, technology, and aesthetics of photography, ranging from the purely technical, theoretical tracts on the physics of photography to rare photographs made by some of the pioneers in the field.” Among the prolific authors represented are Peter Henry Emerson and Edward L. Wilson. Such magazines as Photographische Mitteilungen and the American Amateur Photographer are included. The lose items are a typed and signed letter from the publisher, an order form, a reply postcard, an envelope, and an 8-inch sample piece of microfilm. Indicative of the vastness of the set was its price of $12,350.
You can have this little prospectus for just $10.
25. JENKINS, Reese V. Images & Enterprise: Technology and the American Photographic Industry, 1839-1925, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1975. Hardcover (yellow and white-stamped black cloth), 10 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches, 372 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
The first comprehensive history of the American photographic industry, utilizing manuscript sources of firms like Scovill and Anthony and individuals like George Eastman. “The study exemplifies how technology, science, and business are related within a broad historical context. For the student of technical and business history, it fosters an understanding of the historic circumstances that sometimes favored technical innovation and at other times favored organizational or business creativity.” Includes technical, financial, and personnel information about many companies, like Agfa and Kodak. Four of the five chapters cover periods up to 1910: daguerreotype, collodion, gelatin plate, and amateur roll-film. Demonstrating the book’s usefulness, it was reprinted a few years later. Near fine condition, with a few short tears to dustjacket. $50
26. JUSSIM, Estelle. Visual Communication and the Graphic Arts: Photographic Technologies in the Nineteenth Century, New York: R. R. Bowker, 1974. Hardcover (copper and metallic pink-stamped tan cloth), 11 ¼ x 8 ¾ inches, 364 pages, 121 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
This is a detailed and insightful history of the close relationship of photography, photomechanical processes, and the graphic arts in the nineteenth century, by renowned professor Jussim, a communications theorist and art historian. She examines the time when photography was new and how it significantly altered the way other imagery was reproduced. Pressmen became skilled partners in innovated graphic art forms, as “photography led to a new ‘code,’ a new medium through which to express unique messages of truth, beauty, and reality.” Entire chapters are devoted to the illustrators Howard Pyle, William Hamilton Gibson, and Frederic Remington. Near fine condition. $50
27. KAHMEN, Volker. Art History of Photography, New York: Viking Press, 1974. Hardcover (gray-stamped black cloth), 10 x 7 ½ inches, 232 pages, 370 illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Originally published in Germany, the book has a European perspective and includes more artists who used the camera than other similar tiles of the period. Among them are Bruce Nauman and Klaus Rinke. Kahmen’s text is printed in letterpress and, subsequently, is separated from the plate section. Very good condition, in chipped and torn dustjacket. $35
28. KODAK. The Kodak Museum: A Permanent Exhibition Illustrating the History of Photography and Some of its Applications in Science, Art, and Industry, Harrow, Middlesex, England: Kodak Limited, 1947. Softcover (gold-stamped purple felt), 9 ½ x 6 inches, 90 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color).
This publication, with a distinctive felt cover, catalogs the museum displays at Kodak’s large plant in England. The frontispiece pictures a model of the entire plant and a floor plan of the museum. Among the 25 sections of displays are daguerreotypes, cameras, motion pictures, radiology, and applied photography. Near fine condition. $25
29. KURUTZ, Gary F. California Books Illustrated with Original Photographs, 1856-1890, Los Angeles: Dawson’s Book Shop, 1996. Softcover, 9 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches, 36 pages, 6 halftone illustrations.
This is a nicely designed item on the subject, with the text in elegant letterpress. The checklist of ninety books, by Robert Bothamley, comprises books published in California, periodicals and illustrated directories, and books about California issued outside of the state. The reproductions include sheet music, a business card, frontispieces, and the half-title page of G. R. Fardon’s San Francisco Album, the first photographically illustrated book printed in California. A very useful reference, printed in an edition of only 100 copies. Fine condition. $50
30. LECUYER, Raymond. Histoire de la Photographie, Paris: Baschet, 1945. Hardcover (silver-stamped brown cloth and paper over boards), 15 ¼ x 11 ½ inches, 456 pagers, screen-gravure, halftone, and color illustrations.
This substantial volume covers the social and technical aspects of photography in depth but also features the work of artistic masters such as Eugène Atget and Robert Demachy. Among the special plates are a simulated negative, portraits by Hill and Adamson, and stereoscopic images (printed in two colors), most of them tipped-in. Lacking the stereo viewer, edges worn, and spine separating. $350
31. LIFE. “Life” Exhibitions: 1949-50, New York: Life, 1949. Softcover, 9 x 6 inches, 48 pages, halftone illustrations.
This catalog offered no-cost traveling exhibitions to museums, school, libraries, churches, and study groups. Described are 28 shows, including a group of seven on the history of Western culture. Among the others are “Memorable LIFE Photographs,” chosen by Edward Steichen, five shows of work by Dmitri Kessel, and “People of India” by Margaret Bourke-White. A few internal ink markings and spin chipped. $25
32. LIGHT Gallery. Light, New York: Light Gallery, 1981. Softcover, 10 x 8 inches, 96 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color). Signed.
This is a well-designed and nicely printed catalog on the photographers the gallery represented. Thirty-one contemporary photographers are featured (from Adams to Winogrand), each with a page of text on his or her work and information on their education, awards, exhibitions, and collections. This copy is signed by five of those included: Linda Connor, Frank Gohlke, James Henkel, Roger Mertin (now deceased), and Arnold Newman (also deceased). Includes a chronological list of all the gallery’s exhibitions, beginning in 1971. A desirable record of one of the most important early galleries of photography. Mild wear and crease to spine. $75
33. LYONS, Nathan. Photographers on Photography, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1966. Hardcover (silver-stamped gray cloth), 9 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches, 190 pages, 62 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
In this well-known, early anthology, Lyons presents essays by 23 leading photographers. He selected them to best represent each one’s individual philosophy and contribution to the development of contemporary photographic expression. Arranged alphabetically by photographer, they arch from Berenice Abbott to Minor White. Among the texts are Henri Cartier-Bresson’s introduction to his book The Decisive Moment and “How I Came to Photograph Clouds” by Alfred Stieglitz. Previous owner’s wet stamp (twice), otherwise near fine condition, in laminated dustjacket. $35
34. MAGNUM. William Manchester, In Our Time: The World as Seen by Magnum Photographers, New York: American Federation of the Arts, 1989. Hardcover (gold-stamped black cloth), 13 ¼ x 9 ¾ inches, 456 pages, duotone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket. Signed, with ephemera.
This is still the most comprehensive study of the Magnum photo agency. It began as a Paris collective in 1947, organized by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and a few others, with the intent to harbor more editorial control over the use of their photographic images. It includes essays by Manchester, Jean Lacouture, and Fred Ritchin, along with selected biographies and a bibliography and chronology of Magnum. This copy signed by longtime member photographers Leonard Freed and Marc Riboud. Near fine condition.
The ephemera consists of the following:
Promotional folder, with press release and numerous printed items relating to the
accompanying exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Minneapolis Star Tribune Sunday Magazine, May 1990. The cover and nearly the entire
20-page newsprint issue is devoted to the above show.
Press copy prints (8-x-10-inch gelatin silver prints) for the above showing: 32 installation
views, and individual images by Bruce Davidson, Josef Koudelka, Inge Morath, Gilles
Peress, Marc Riboud, George Rodger, and two others. Total of 40 photographs.
Two reviews of the show at the International Center of Photography, both by Andy
Grundberg. New York Times, November 10, 1989, on original newsprint.
Impressive group of items. $150
35. MATHEWS, Oliver. Early Photographs and Early Photographers: A Survey in Dictionary Form, New York: Pitman, 1973. Hardcover (gold-stamped blue cloth), 10 x 7 ½ inches, 200 pages, 252 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
After a brief introduction, Mathews covers the origins and prehistory of photography, provides a chronology (from 1558 to 1907) and brief biographical information on about 250 photographers, describes numerous photographic processes, and then addresses the modern market for early photographs (with some recorded prices). Near fine condition, in dustjacket that is rubbed and browned and wrinkled along the top. $25
36. MOHOLY, Lucia. A Hundred Years of Photography, 1839-1939, Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1939. Softcover, 7 x 4 ½ inches, 190 pages, 35 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
A rudimentary but early history of photography, published on the centennial of the medium. Most of the illustrations are of nineteenth-century work, but include portraits by Cecil Beaton and, unapologetically, the author. Except for the small section of images, the pages are on newsprint, which are darkened and fragile, as is usual. Prague-born Lucia Moholy (1894 -1989), the first wife of László Moholy-Nagy, was an historian, writer, and photographer. The unusually nice paper covers are browned and lightly worn at two corners, the rare dustjacket is browned, worn, torn, and chipped, with the front flap separated. $50
37. MRAZKOVA, Daniela. Masters of Photography, New York: Exeter Books, 1987. Hardcover (gold-stamped white cloth), 11 x 9 ½ inches, 264 pages, screen-gravure and color illustrations, dustjacket.
The book is divided into eleven photographic disciplines, such as Art, Social, Journalism, Propaganda, and Humanistic, each with an essay and about ten photographers. Mrazkova is Czech, which accounts for the healthy dose of Europeans whom are little known to us over here. For example, in the section “Photography as Modern Language,” she includes Lorenzo Merlo, Roman Cieslewicz, Vilhelm Mikhailovski, Leszek Szurkowski, and Masaki Nakayama. Near fine condition. $35
38. NEWHALL, Beaumont. Photography: 1839-1937, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1937. Hardcover (silver-stamped black cloth), 10 x 7 ¾ inches, 228 pages, 95 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
This is the first state of Newhall’s history, a book which has gone through five editions, eventually becoming one of the medium’s standard references. This one accompanied an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, where Newhall was the librarian, preceding the establishment of a curatorial department of photographs. He covers such aspects as aesthetics, science, photojournalism, technique, and motion pictures. The plates include work by nineteenth-century figures like Daguerre, Talbot, and Cameron, and his contemporary section features Abbott, Adams, Evans, Man Ray, Weston, and others. I never understood why Newhall and the museum couldn’t wait another two years and make this a true centenary of the invention of photography. Light edgewear, in the rare dustjacket that is worn, chipped, and missing pieces. $125
39. NEWHALL, Beaumont. Photography: A Short Critical History, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1938. Hardcover (silver-stamped black cloth), 10 x 7 ¾ inches, 220 pages, 95 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Newhall revised the text of the above slightly, but the main changes are the elimination of the checklist, seen in the above, and the addition of a biographical section of over one hundred photographers. This edition was dedicated to Alfred Stieglitz, who still had eight years to live, making clear today just how long ago this thing was written. Miniscule wear to tips, in the rare price-clipped dustjacket that has edgewear, creases, and chips. $125
40. NEWHALL, Beaumont. The History of Photography, from 1839 to the Present Day, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1949. Hardcover (black-stamped gray cloth), 10 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches, 256 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
The third edition of Newhall’s history, rewritten and redesigned. He includes less technical material, and photographers such as Arnold Newman, W. Eugene Smith, and Weegee make their first appearance. The last chapter is on color photography, but the only color image is a 1946 waterfront scene by Edward Weston, presented as the book’s frontispiece. Near fine condition, in a dustjacket with a little wear and loss. $50
41. NEWHALL, Beaumont. The History of Photography, from 1839 to the Present Day, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1964. Hardcover (gold-stamped blue cloth), 11 ¼ x 8 ½ inches, 216 pages, screen-gravure illustrations, dustjacket.
On to the fourth state of the book, the one dear to the generation who came of age during photography’s resurgence as an art form, starting in the 1970s. In this “revised and enlarged edition,” the pictures begin to dominate and the selection and printing quality has improved; they are now rendered in rich gravure. Not surprisingly, Newhall heavily emphasizes straight and documentary photography, and the last chapter, on recent trends, features images by Robert Frank, Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, and Minor White. Near fine condition, in dustjacket that is browned at the edges and missing a few small pieces on the back. $25
42. NEWHALL, Beaumont. Beaumont Newhall, Rochester, New York: George Eastman House, 1971. Softcover, 11 x 8 ¼ inches, 40 pages, one halftone illustration.
This is an exhaustive bibliography of writings by Newhall, produced shortly after he retired as director of the Eastman House. It lists an amazing 632 pieces by him, made up of books, catalogs, articles, bibliographies, and reviews of literature, divided by those categories and listed chronologically. Light rubbing and tiny edgewear. $35
43. NUDES. Peter Lacey, The History of the Nude in Photography, New York: Bantham, 1964. Softcover, 7 x 4 ¼ inches, 216 pages, screen-gravure illustrations.
While not a scholarly publication, this little, thick book covers a lot of ground visually, in rich gravure. After a short introduction, Lacey presents the work of about two dozen photographers, with commentary on each. Among them are Delacriox, Muybridge, the Photo-Secessionists, Weston, Brandt, Callahan, Clergue, and Bernhard. Lesser-known figures include Charles Schenk, Ferenc Berko, Rene Groebli, Marvin Newman, Frank Horvat, J. Frederick Smith, and Robert Wilson. Light cover wear. $25
44. OUTERBRIDGE, Paul, Jr. Elaine Dines and Graham Howe, Paul Outerbridge: A Singular Aesthetic: Photographs and Drawings, 1921-1941: A Catalogue Raisonné, Santa Barbara, California: Arabesque Books, 1981. Hardcover (tan cloth with mounted reproduction and mat, and black-stamped mounted board on spine), 12 ¼ x 9 ½ inches, 240 pages, 564 halftone illustrations (some in color), printed acetate jacket.
An ambitious project, this is one of the few catalog raisonnés for a photographer. It includes an introduction by Dines and Howe, a 1940 essay by Outerbridge on the color carbro process, a selected bibliography, and, most importantly, every image by him known at the time. Featured are his modernist ink drawings, delicate platinum prints, and color nude and advertising images. The challenging cover image shows a nude woman wearing only a mask and gloves with metal fingertips. Limited edition of 1,500 copies. Near fine condition, in a rubbed jacket. $550
45. OUTERBRIDGE, Paul, Jr. Elaine Dines and Graham Howe, Paul Outerbridge: A Singular Aesthetic: Photographs and Drawings, 1921-1941: A Catalogue Raisonné, Laguna Beach (California) Museum of Art, 1981. Softcover, 11 ¾ x 9 inches, 240 pages, 564 halftone illustrations (some in color).
This is the softcover version of the above, without the elaborate cover. It accompanied a traveling exhibition organized by the museum. Near fine condition. $75
46. PARR, Martin, and Gerry Badger. The Photobook: A History, Volume I, New York: Phaidon, 2004. Hardcover (printed paper over boards), 11 ½ x 10 inches, 320 pages, color halftone illustrations, dustjacket. Ephemera.
After Andrew Roth’s groundbreaking book on the subject a few years earlier (see below), this was the next important contribution, soon followed by its companion volume. Parr and Badger are compassionate collectors with deep understanding of the communicative resonance of the best photobooks. More than just collections of pictures, the best examples stand as artistically and culturally important objects in their own right. Among the photographers highlighted here are William Henry Fox Talbot, Walker Evans, Larry Clark, and Nobuyoshi Araki. Topics include the modernist photobook, the “stream-of-consciousness” photobook, and the Postwar Japanese photobook. Laid into this copy is a full-page review of the book in the New York Times, on original newsprint. Near fine condition. $250
47. PHOTO BOOK CATALOGS.
Before the Internet significantly altered the book business in the 1990s, many booksellers, both private and those with open shops, periodically issued catalogs of their photography holdings. They usually contained detailed descriptions of the books’ contents and their importance, and remain informative and useful today. Also included here are catalogs from publishers of photography books.
Almagre. Catalog 7 (1985), 22 (1989), 27 (1991), 32 (1992), 37 (1994), 42 (1995), 50
(1998).
Aperture. Spring 1989, 1990, Fall 1991, 40th Anniversary (1992-93), Fall 1993,
Fall 1994, 1995, 1996, Fall 1997, Spring 1998, Spring 1999, Fall 1999, Spring 2000.
Arno Press. Literature of Photography (c. 1980), Sources of Modern Photography (1980).
Ars Libri. Catalog 18 (1979), 83 (1993).
Baltimore Book Company. Catalog 272 (1992), 293 (1996).
Bauman Rare Books. Photobooks (c. 2010).
Bickerstaff & Barclay. Catalog 855 (1985), 87-6 (1987).
Bookman’s Weekly. Photographica issues, 1993, 1996.
Cahan, Andrew. Catalog 34 (1992).
California Book Auction Galleries. Catalog 285 (1989).
La Chambre Claire (Paris). Catalog 4-90 (1990), 3-91 (1991), June-Sept. 1992.
Collected Image. Czech Books (1990).
Collectors Editions (Carol S. Fruchter). Catalog 15 (1983), 21 (1984), 33 (1991), 44
(1997), Signed & Inscribed Photographic Book Collection (1999).
Daiter, Stephen. Catalog 1 (1989), 2 (1989), 4 (1991), 5 (1992), 6 (1993), 6 ½ (1994).
Dawson’s Book Shop. Catalog 15 (1992).
Dean, Robert. Catalog 1 (c. 1985), 2 (c. 1985).
Distributed Art Publishers (D.A.P.). Spring 1995, Fall 1996, Fall 1997, Fall/Winter 2005-
2006.
Feldstein, Henry. Catalog 12 (1987), 14 (1988), 15 (1988), 16 (1989), 17 (1990), 18
(1992), 19 (1994), 20 (1995).
Finch, Simon (London). Catalog 2002.
Friends of Photography. Untitled Series (1993).
Hertzmann, Paul M., and Margolis & Moss. Second Chance (c. 2010).
International Center of Photography. 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95.
Kehayoff Verlag (Munich, Germany). Fall 1999.
Kowasa (Barcelona, Spain). 2-92 (1992).
Light Impressions. Spring/Summer 1990, Spring/Summer 1991, Fall/Winter 1991,
Spring/Summer 1994.
Kingston & Rose. Catalog 1 (1988).
Levart, Herb. Catalog 29 (c. 1980).
Mautz, Carl. Books on Photography (c. 1995), Books on Photography (1998), Fall/Winter
2001, Winter/Spring 2002-2003.
Muns, J. B. Catalog 151 (1993), 154 (1994), 180 (2002).
Nazraeli Press. Catalog II (1992), Spring 1994, Spring 1999, Spring 2000, Fall 2000,
Spring/Summer 2001, Summer 2002, Summer 2003, Winter/Spring 2003,
Winter/Spring 2004.
Ozanne, Denis (Paris). Photographie (2006).
Pajerski, Fred & Elizabeth. Catalog 1 (1984), 2s, 2t, 2u, 2v, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 52 (1999).
Photo-Eye. 1985, Fall 1993, Winter 1993/94, Summer 1994, Fall 1994, Holiday 1994,
Spring 1995, Fall/Winter 1995, Spring 1996, Fall 1997, Winter 1998, 1998
Technical Catalog, 1998 Nude Catalog, Spring 1999, Winter 1999, 20th Anniversary
(1999), Winter 2000, Spring 2000, Summer 2000, Holiday 2001.
Photo-Eye Booklist. 6:3 (1985), 7:1 (1986), 7:3 (1986), 7:4 (1986), 8:3 (1987), 9:1 (1988),
9:2 (1988), 9:3 (1988), 9:4-5 (1988), 10:1-2 (1989), 10:3 (1989), 10:4 (1989),
11:1 (Winter 1989-90), 11:2 (1990), 11:3 (1990), 11:5 (1990), 12:3 (1991),
13:4 (1992), 13:5 (1993), 14:1 (1993), Monographs (1994), 17: 3 (1995).
Photographer’s Bookshelf. Catalog 5 (1976).
PowerHouse. Fall 1998, Fall 1999, Fall 2000.
Rose, Stephen T. Catalog 7 (1982), 9 (1991), 10 (1991), 11 (1992), 12 (1992), 13 (1992),
14 (1993), 15 (1993), 16 (1994), 19 (1995), 20 (1995), 21 (1995), 22 (1996), 23 (1996), 25 (1997), 26 (1997), 29 (1998), 31 (1999), 32 (2000).
Sadow, Arnold. Catalog 22 (1987), 23 (1988).
Scalo. Fall 1996.
Twin Palms Publishers. Autumn 1998/Spring 1999, Winter-Spring 2005,
Autumn/Spring 2005-2006, Autumn/Winter 2008-2009.
University of New Mexico Press. 1990/91, 1991/92, 1993/94, Art &Photography (1995).
Wood, Charles B. Catalog 49 (1982), The Photograph and the Book III (1994), IV (1997).
Worldwide Books. Photography Exhibition Catalogues (1977).
A substantial group of 216 catalogs. $500
48. PHOTOGRAPHY FAIRS.
Catalogs for two fairs of photography dealers. They comprise primarily
profiles of the dealers exhibiting and advertising for related businesses.
Chicago Photographic Print Fair 1990. Softcover, 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, unpaginated, halftone
illustrations. This was the fair’s first year. Laid in is an announcement for the show
and an admission ticket.
Chicago Photographic Print Fair 1993. Softcover, 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, unpaginated, halftone
illustrations.
Chicago Photographic Print Fair 1994. Softcover, 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, unpaginated, halftone
illustrations.
Photo L.A. 1993. Softcover, 9 x 6 inches, unpaginated, halftone illustrations. This copy
inscribed and dated by the catalog’s designer, Susan Silton.
Photo L.A. 1994. Softcover, 9 x 6 inches, unpaginated, halftone illustrations.
Group of five: $25
49. PHOTOMECHANICAL PROCESSES. David A. Hanson and Sidney Tillim. Photographs in Ink, Teaneck, New Jersey: College Art Gallery, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1996. Hardcover (gold-stamped green cloth), 13 ½ x 9 ¾ inches, 84 pages, 32 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
This is an elegant, oversize exhibition catalog that includes an essay on the history and technique of various photomechanical methods of reproducing photographs. The full-color plates reproduce halftones, photogravures, collotypes, woodburytypes, photo-lithographs, and other processes. The book was printed in an edition of 700 copies and includes a CD-ROM of the entire show. This copy signed by Hanson. Fine condition. $100
50. PHOTO-SECESSION. Catalogue 6: Photo-Secession, Washington, D.C.: Lunn Gallery/Graphics International, 1977. Softcover, 11 x 8 ¾ inches, 158 pages, halftone illustrations.
This is a handsome sales catalog of Photo-Secession material from one of the earliest successful photography galleries, run by Harry H. Lunn, Jr. It includes sections on Paul B. Haviland, Heinrich Kühn, and the collection of Joseph T. Keiley, with text by Peter Galassi, who went on to become curator of photographs at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Work is offered by Alvin Langdon Coburn, Robert Demachy, Gertrude Käsebier, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Clarence H. White and others. An early, little-known reference on the Photo-Secession. Near fine condition. $25
51. PICTORIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS of AMERICA. Christian A. Peterson, Index to the Annuals of the Pictorial Photographers of America, Minneapolis: author, 1993. Softcover, 8 x 5 ¼ inches, 44 pages, unillustrated.
During the 1920s, the Pictorial Photographers of America published five hardbound annuals, covering their activities and reproducing work by its members. This index, of over 600 entries, covers every signed article, photographic reproduction, and office holder in Pictorial Photography in America. Included are citations on such major figures as Alvin Landon Coburn, Gertrude Käsebier, Paul Outerbridge, Jr., Edward Weston, and Clarence H. White. The vast majority of entries, however, are for lesser-known American pictorialists whose work is indexed nowhere else. Of the edition of 250 copies only fifteen remain. Mint condition. $10
52. PICTORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. Christian A. Peterson, An Annotated Bibliography of Pictorial Photography: Selected Books from the Library of Christian A. Peterson, Northfield, Minnesota: Gould Library, Carleton College, 2004. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 44 pages, unillustrated.
This little-known item contains entries on about 250 pictorial publications, nicely described by the collector. It includes books from as early as the 1880s, when naturalistic photography was laying the groundwork for pictorialism, and titles from as late as the 1960s, when a few skilled workers remained devoted to the tenets of pictorial photography. Most of the titles, however, were published between 1900 and 1940, the period during which Alfred Stieglitz’s Photo-Secession reigned and a sizeable subsequent generation of pictorialists expanded the parameters of the movement. The selection comprises monographs, aesthetic treatises, salon catalogs, periodicals, and ephemera. Published on the occasion of a related exhibition at Carleton College. Edition of only 150 copies. Mint condition. $10
53. POLLACK, Peter. The History of Photography: From the Earliest Beginnings to the Present Day, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1958. Hardcover (gold and blue-stamped black cloth), 11 ¼ x 9 inches, 624 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color). dustjacket.
The former curator of photographs at the Art Institute of Chicago presents his take on the history in this substantial volume. It is heavy on pictures, including more than 600 reproductions. Pollack divides his text into four sections: “The Beginnings,” “Masters of the Nineteenth Century,” “Masters of the Modern Era,” and “Photography Today” (meaning around the 1950s). Tiny wear to tips, in laminated dustjacket that is rubbed and torn. $75
54. POLLACK, Peter. The History of Photography: From the Earliest Beginnings to the Present Day, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1958.
Another copy, not the first edition, with a slightly different dustjacket but seemingly the same internally. Hinges a little lose, previous owner’s name, in rubbed and mildly worn dustjacket. $50
55. POLLACK, Peter. The History of Photography: From the Earliest Beginnings to the Present Day, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1977. Hardcover (white and blind-stamped black cloth), 11 ¾ x 9 inches, 176 pages, 257 screen-gravure and color illustrations, dustjacket.
This is the “concise edition,” shorter but printed in much better quality gravure. Pollack maintains the same four sections, but expands the contemporary one, now including two-page investigations of the likes of Bruce Davidson, Gordon Parks, and Lucien Clergue. Near fine condition, in dustjacket that is rubbed and missing a piece at the bottom of the spine. $35
56. ROSEMBLUM, Naomi. A World History of Photography, New York: Abbeville, 1984. Hardcover (silver and blind-stamped black cloth), 11 ½ x 9 inches, 670 pages, 803 duotone and color illustrations, dustjacket. Signed.
This was a welcome addition to the standard histories, as Rosenblum, wife of the photographer Walter, paid attention to many more countries and women (surprise!) than Newhall and Gernsheim did. It is a masterful balance of facts, analysis, movements, individuals, and technique. As a result it was frequently used for college courses and remains highly recommended today. This copy signed by Rosenblum. Near fine condition. $100
57. ROTH, Andrew. The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century, New York: PPP Editions, 2001. Hardcover (gray-stamped gray cloth), 12 x 9 ¾ inches, 308 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
An important scholarly study of the subject, handsomely designed and printed. It begins with The North American Indian (volume one, 1907) by Edward S. Curtis and ends with David LaChapelle’s LaChapelle Land (1996). Among the other photographers represented are Edward Weston, Walker Evans, William Eggleston, Larry Clark, and Susan Meiselas. Features essays by Richard Benson, Jeffrey Fraenkel, Daido Moriyama, and others. Mint condition, in shrink wrap. $500
58. SEARS, ROEBUCK and Company. Cameras, Photographic Supplies, Chicago: Sears, 1909. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 72 pages, halftone illustrations
Catalog of largely Conley Cameras, which were sold only by Sears. But it includes other equipment, such as studio backdrops and motion-picture projectors. Covers and page edges heavily worn. $10
59. SNELLING, Henry H. The History and Practice of the Art of Photography, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1970. Hardcover (blind and gold-stamped green cloth), 7 ½ x 4 ¾ inches, 144 pages, 29 line illustrations.
Originally published in 1849, this is a reprint with an introduction by Beaumont Newhall. The full subtitle of the original was “The Production of Pictures Through the Agency of Light, Containing all the instructions necessary for the complete practice of the daguerreian and photogenic art, both on metallic plates and on paper.” Henry H. Snelling (1817-1897) was first initiated to photography in 1847 when he started working for Edward Anthony, a daguerreotype pioneer, for whom he designed equipment. In 1851 he began to edit and publish the monthly Photographic Art Journal and he wrote two books beside the current title, which went through at least four editions during his lifetime. Tiny edgewear. $25
60. SIPLEY, Louis Walton. A Half Century of Color, New York: Macmillan, 1951. Hardcover (blue, red, gold, and silver-stamped black cloth), 10 ¼ x 8 inches, 216 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket. With ephemera.
The groundbreaking history of color photography by Dr. Sipley, the director of Philadelphia’s American Museum of Photography. Features innovative fashion pictures by the likes of Erwin Blumenfeld, Horst P. Horst, and Edward Steichen. Sipley covers the invention and development of many color processes, but also devotes much text to methods of photomechanical reproduction in color. Pioneering photographers, engravers, and printers all receive his attention. The book includes many color inserts, such as a five-panel fold out comparing letterpress, offset lithography, and gravure, and an actual Pavelle color print, found in an envelope between pages 158 and 159 (sometimes missing). Laid into this copy is the 24-page catalog for a show of the same title that was presented at four American venues. Near fine, in price-clipped dustjacket with the price cancelled and a few creases. $75
61. SOTHEBY’S. Auction catalogues.
Most measure about 10 ½ x 8 ¼ inches, feature 400 lots, which are illustrated in color and black and white.
1982: November 9.
1983: November 9.
1984: November 5.
1985: November 12.
1992: October 15 & 16.
1998: October 7.
2008: April 8.
Group of 7. $35
62. STIEGLITZ, Alfred. Sarah Greenough, Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set, Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, and Harry N. Abrams, New York, 2002. Hardcovers (black-stamped tan cloth), 12 ¾ x 10 inches, 1,012 pages, 1,642 duotone illustrations (some in color), 2 volumes in slipcase.
Hands down, the most comprehensive visual guide to Stieglitz’s work. It reproduces the over 1,500 photographs by him owned by the National Gallery, given by his widow, Georgia O’Keeffe, as the “key set” of his photographs. Greenough’s introduction describes periods in Stieglitz’s life and is followed by the pictures in chronological order, dating from 1886 to 1937. Mint condition, in shrink wrap and original shipping carton. $300
63. STORY, Alfred A. The Story of Photography, New York: D. Appleton, 1904. Hardcover (leather spine and tips and marbled paper over boards), 7 ¾ x 5 inches, 172 pages, 1 halftone and 38 line illustrations.
Cleverly titled to reference the author’s name, this book is a history and technical guide to nineteenth-century photography. Story covers inventors Niépce, Daguerre, and Talbot, equipment, processes, and photography’s relationship to the telegraph and art. He ends his text by quoting art photographer Henry Peach Robinson: “The unthinking goose-quill of the poet was no more in itself able to write than the unthinking camera of the photographer is to make pictures; but both are mighty instruments in the hands of mighty men.” Hinges loose, covers worn, missing spine and heavily tape-repaired. $25
64. SWANN GALLERIES. Auction catalogues.
Most measure about 9 ½ x 6 ½ inches, contain about 300 lots, feature color and black-and-white halftone illustrations, and have sales results laid in.
1977: April 14, December 8.
1978: April 20, December 14.
1991: April 15.
1996: February 29, April 24.
1999: April 27.
2000: April 3, June 15.
2010: May 20, October 19, December 9.
2011: March 24, May 19.
2012: February 28, December 11.
2013: October 17.
2014: February 27, April 17.
Group of 20. $100
65. SWEETMAN, Alex. Photographic Book to Photobookwork: 140 Years of Photography in Publication, Riverside, California: California Museum of Photography, 1986. Softcover, 9 ¾ x 8 ½ inches, 32 pages, halftone illustrations.
Published as an issue of the CMP Bulletin, this was one of the first investigations into the phenomenon of the photobook. Sweetman’s essay comprises four sections: “Photographs Pasted Into Books,” “Ink Photographs,” “Visual Revolution: The Twentieth Century,” and “Photobookworks.” Printed in an edition of 1,400 copies, with a commissioned cover by Todd Walker. Of special note are tipped-in examples of an actual albumen print, photogravure, and collotype. Fine condition, in original protective wrap. $35
66. SZARKOWSKI, John. The Photographer’s Eye, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1966. Softcover, 9 x 8 ½ inches, 156 pages, screen-gravure illustrations.
Curator Szarkowski’s influential investigation of “what photographs look like and why they look that way.” He provides a short introduction and five groups of photographs from the previous hundred years. “The Thing Itself” includes work by Maxime Du Camp and Julia Margaret Cameron; “The Detail” has pictures by Eugène Atget and Walker Evans; “The Frame” features work by Jacques Henri Lartigue and Elliott Erwitt; “Time” includes photographs by Eadweard Muybridge and Harold Edgerton; and “Vantage Point” presents pictures by Bill Brandt, Robert Frank, and Lee Friedlander, all of them in rich gravure. Light rubbing and wear to covers. $25
67. SZARKOWSKI, John. Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1973. Hardcover (gray-stamped black cloth), 11 x 9 ¼ inches, 216 pages, 100 screen-gravure illustrations, dustjacket. Ephemera.
Szarkowski’s revered examination of photographs by Berenice Abbott, Gary Winogrand, and 98 others. Laid in is the New York Times Book Review extensive seven-page (yes, 7 pages) coverage of the book (on original newsprint), by Susan Sontag (an important item in its own right). Near fine condition, in dustjacket that is sunned on spine (as is usual). $35
68. TALBOT Circle. Sun Pictures: The Harold White Collection of Historical Photographs From the Circle of Talbot, New York: Hans P. Kraus, Jr., 1987. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 40 pages, 36 duotone illustrations.
This is an attractive dealer’s catalog, well printed by the Meriden-Stinehour Press in an edition of 1,000 copies (cover image is tipped-on). Features work by Hill & Adamson, Captain Henry Brewster, Reverend Calvert Jones, and others working with the paper negative (calotype). Price list laid in. Near fine condition. $25
69. TAUSK, Peter. Photography in the 20th Century, London: Focal Press, 1980. Hardcover (black-stamped gray cloth), 9 ¼ x 6 inches, 344 pages, 285 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Tausk was a Czech professor and the first edition of this title appeared in German. Consequently, Czech and European photographers and movements are examined in more depth than most American histories. For example, he covers the New Objectivity, the Bauhaus, Subjective Photography, “Magic Realism,” and the relationship between photography and Op Art and Pop Art. The small section of color plates includes images by Hans Watzek, Heinz Hajek-Halke, Keld Helmer-Peterson, Robert Heinecken, Josef Sudek, Neal Slavin, and Tausk himself. Tiny wrinkles to top and bottom of spine, in dustjacket that is also wrinkled. $50
70. WARHOL, Andy. Callie Angell, Andy Warhol Screen Tests: The Films of Andy Warhol, Catalogue Raisonné, New York: Abrams, 2006. Hardcover (printed paper over boards), 11 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 320 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
This is a complete investigation of the 472 “screen tests” made by Warhol from 1964 to 1966, of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. It constitutes a veritable who’s who of the 1960s avant-garde. Among those included are Marcel Duchamp, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Susan Sontag, and Lou Reed. Foremost Warhol film scholar Angell provides an essay and details on the clips. Two bumped corners, in dustjacket that is torn and lightly worn. $35
71. WEST, Larry J., and Patricia A. Abbott. Antique Photographic Jewelry: Tokens of Affection and Regard, New York: West Companies, 2005. Hardcover (printed and padded paper over boards), 12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 256 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket, gilded edges. Signed.
This is a large-format and in-depth study of photographic jewelry, certainly authoritative. The text covers all aspect of the subject: portrait miniatures; American folk art; decorative, functional, and commemorative uses; domestic and European differences; accessories; privacy; the industry; and identification, collecting, and research. Apparently produced in a very limited number of copies; this one is warmly inscribed by West. Fine condition, in opened shrink wrap. $350
72. WESTERBECK, Colin, and Joel Meyerowitz. Bystander: A History of Street Photography, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1994. Hardcover (silver-stamped green cloth), 11 ¼ x 9 inches, 430 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Curator/critic Westerbeck and photographer Meyerowitz team up to craft an unprecedented history of one of the medium’s most vital genres. They cover time periods and masters of street photography, divided into four sections; Eugène Atget and the Nineteenth Century, Cartier-Bresson and Europe in the Twentieth Century, Walker Evans and America Before World War II, and Robert Frank and America Since the War. The project coalesced over fifteen years, and the last chapter comprises a conversation between the collaborators. Mint condition, in shrink wrap. $125
73. WHAT IS PHOTOGRAPHY: 150 Years of Photography, Prague, Czechoslovakia: Mánes, 1989. Softcover, 11 ¾ x 8 ¾ inches, 392 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color). Signed.
This publication accompanied the largest Czech exhibition to mark the sesquicentennial of photography. Not surprisingly, it features a healthy portion of Eastern European work and also documents an ancillary show on “Czechoslovak Photography, 1945-1989.” This section comprises nearly 150 mostly living Czech photographers, many of them still new to us Westerners today. There are five main essays including “Modern Photography on the March” by Daniela Mrázková, the lead curator. This copy signed by her. A little-known book outside of Europe, with bilingual text in Czech and English. Covers lightly rubbed and a little worn along top of back. $75
74. WHITE, Mus. From the Mundane to the Magical: Photographically Illustrated Children’s Books, 1854-1945 and Beyond, Los Angeles: Dawson’s Book Shop, 1999. Hardcover (copper-stamped blue cloth), 11 ½ x 8 ¾ inches, 270 pages, 58 halftone illustrations. Signed
Indisputably the authoritative book on the subject. White, the wife of Los Angeles photography collector/dealer Stephen, provides an essay and details 1,373 titles, plus nearly 150 that appeared in series. Elegantly printed in letterpress and issued without a dustjacket. This copy signed by White. Near fine condition. $175
75. WITKIN, Lee D., and Barbara London. The Photograph Collector’s Guide, Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1979. Hardcover (silver-stamped maroon cloth), 11 ¼ x 8 ¾ inches, 438 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket. Signed.
This was one of the earliest authoritative reference books for serious photography collectors, co-written by the pioneering gallery owner Lee Witkin. It addresses the “art of collecting,” photographic processes, care and restoration, portfolios, and other related topics. It has extensive lists of museums, galleries, and little-known photographers and daguerreotypists. The core of the book, however, are its capsule biographies of leading figures, each of which includes a bibliography, example of their signature, and data about the availability and price of their work. This copy signed by Witkin. One corner bumped, in a dustjacket that has one tear and creases on the front. $100
76. WITKIN Gallery. Lee D. Witkin, A Ten Year Salute: A Selection of Photographs in Celebration: The Witkin Gallery, 1969-1979, Danbury, New Hampshire: Addison House, 1979. Softcover, 11 x 8 ¼ inches, 200 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color). Ephemera.
The bulk of this anniversary publication comprises full-page reproductions of about 150 photographs, with short texts. It includes some nineteenth-century work, by the likes of Muybridge and Timothy H. O’Sullivan, but primarily twentieth-century material by Weston, Abbott, Evans, and others, plus contemporary pieces. Features a chronological list of all the gallery’s exhibitions. Most entertaining is a section of snapshots of photographers at the gallery, with commentary by figures such as Les Krims, Paul Caponigro, Ansel Adams, Elliott Erwitt, W. Eugene Smith, and André Kertész. Laid in is a mailed announcement for the gallery’s 1969 Christmas Show-Sale, with prints priced at “Under $50” and “Over $50.” Rubbed covers with minor edgewear. $35
TECHNICAL
77-126
77. ABBOTT, Berenice. A Guide to Better Photography, New York: Crown, 1941. Hardcover (maroon-stamped brown cloth), 10 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches, 182 pages, 71 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Abbott covers all the standard technical topics, from equipment to film, paper, and chemistry, along with color photography, “straight” photography, and documentary work. The reproductions include historical work by the likes of Matthew Brady and Eugène Atget, along with work by contemporaries of hers such as Margaret Bourke-White, Consuela Kanaga, Barbara Morgan, and Ansel Adams. Cloth browned, in worn dustjacket. $25
78. ADAMS, Ansel. Making a Photograph: An Introduction to Photography, London: Studio, 1935 (fourth impression, 1948). Hardcover (gold-stamped red cloth), 10 x 7 ½ inches, 96 pages, 34 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Adams presents his theories and techniques in six chapters: Equipment, Materials, Practical Theory, Aesthetic Considerations, Making a Photography, and Types of Photography. There is a foreword by Edward Weston and diagrams for laying out one’s darkroom. Perhaps most striking are the tipped-in reproductions that are so well printed they closely resemble glossy gelatin silver prints. Many of them are Adams’s own known images such as “Frozen Lake and Cliffs,” but also include Dorothea Lange’s “White Angel Breadline.” Foxing to endpapers, in dustjacket that is torn, chipped, and missing small pieces. $25
79. ADAMS, Ansel. Polaroid Land Photography Manual: A Technical Handbook, New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1963. Hardcover (black-stamped brown cloth),
9 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches, 192 pages, 76 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Reportedly the first book linking the Polaroid Land System to serious and professional photographers. Adams covers his famous Zone System of exposure and development, explains the qualities and uses of all Polaroid materials, and includes a complete technical data section. While most of the reproductions illustrate the text, there is a special section with higher-quality images by the likes of Philippe Halsman, Paul Caponigro, Minor White, Adams, and others. Near fine condition, in price-clipped dustjacket that has tiny edgewear and small missing pieces. $25
80. ADAMS, Ansel. The Negative: Exposure and Development, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1968, fifth printing. Hardcover (black-stamped gray cloth), 9 ¼ x 6 inches, 120 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
The new, revised edition of a popular book used by many at the time and part of a series of six on basic photo techniques. “In this volume Ansel Adams intentionally re-evaluated sensitometric terms in a language which the non-scientific student will understand.” Previous owner’s name and some underlining to text, in price-clipped, rubbed, and torn dustjacket. $10
81. BURBANK, W. H. The Photographic Negative, New York: Scovill Manufacturing Company, 1888. Hardcover (black and gold-stamped brown cloth), 9 ¼ x 6 inches, 198 pages, halftone and line illustrations.
Regard the subtitle to outline the book’s contents: “A Practical Guide to the Preparation of Sensitive Surfaces by the Calotype, Albumen Collodion, and Gelatin Processes, on Glass and Paper, with Supplemental Chapters on Development Etc., Etc.” Tissue-guarded frontispiece and two examples of “Moss-Type” engraving. Covers worn. $125
82. CAMERA CLUB GUIDES. PSA Camera Club Guides, Philadelphia: Photographic Society of America, c. 1940s. Softcovers, 9 x 6 inches, 4-12 pages each, mostly unillustrated.
I. So You Want to Start a Camera Club? Covers such topics as organization, by-laws, officers, meeting places, dues, programs, and exhibitions.
II. Planning a Club Publicity Program. Addresses mailing lists, club bulletins, publicity releases, postcards, deadlines, and radio and television. Includes a sample news release from the Stamford (Connecticut) Camera Club.
III. Establishing and Editing a Camera Club Bulletin. This one deals with choosing an editor, methods of publication, name and format, content, and distribution. Features a two-page spread with the mastheads of seven newsletters, among them Light and Shade (Pictorial Photographers of America), Flash (Camera Club of Bozeman, Montana), and The Birdie (Merced Camera Club, California).
IV. Camera Club Competitions. Details the six basic steps in running contests: collecting the prints and slides, display for judging, judging, scoring, compilation, and return of entries.
V. The Guest Speaker: How to Make the Most of Him. Covers choosing the speaker, publicity, technical arrangements, handling the speaker, and running the program. Includes a specimen news release from the Stamford (Connecticut) Camera Club.
VI. Drafting a Club Constitution and by-Laws. Largely given over to samples of both, which include aims, meetings, membership, officers, committees, finances, and elections.
VII. Club Programming. Covers planning, frequency, timing, sources, and ideas. This is the most extensive of the guides, featuring typical yearly schedules for clubs that met monthly, twice a month, and weekly.
This is a detailed and very instructive set of pamphlets about American camera club activities at the middle of the twentieth century, issued by the top national organization of amateurs and clubs. Most near fine condition, with a little browning. Set of seven: $35
83. CARTES-DE-VISITE. William C. Darrah, Cartes de Visite in Nineteenth Century Photography, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: W. C. Darrah, 1981. Hardcover (gold-stamped red leatherette), 11 ¼ x 8 ¾ inches, 222 pages, 448 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Nineteenth-century expert Darrah’s exhaustive study of one of the most popular photographic formats during the late nineteenth century. His essay covers the background and development of the carte and the business of photography. While the vast majority of cartes-de-visite were portraits, he includes a section on about seventy-five other subjects, from advertising to zoology. One corner bumped. $50
84. CERAMIC PHOTOGRAPHY. Recipes for Ceramic Photography, To be Burnt Into Porcelain or Glass, Chicago: D. M. Campana, c. 1875. Softcover, 7 ¾ x 5 ½ inches, 32 pages, 12 line illustrations.
This booklet gives instructions on printing photographic images onto porcelain and glass, a little remembered fad during the nineteenth century. It covers chemistry, technique, and methodology. The process was used largely for portrait work and, undoubtedly, many of the finished products did not last long, due to their breakability. Tear to spin and light cover wear. $10
85. CLICHÉ-VERRE. Elizabeth Glassman and Marilyn F. Symmes, Cliché-Verre: Hand-Drawn, Light-Printed: A Survey of the Medium from 1839 to the Present, Detroit Institute of Arts, 1980. Softcover, 11 x 9 ¼ inches, 212 pages, halftone illustrations. Author signature laid in.
The exhibition catalog for a show of clichés-verre spanning a century and a half. This hybrid of printmaking and photography usually features a hand-rendered image on a transparent base that is then used like a negative to make a print on light sensitive paper. Among the nineteenth-century artists featured here are Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Eugène Delacroix, and Jean-François Millet; twentieth-century contributors include Brassaï, Man Ray, Henry Holmes Smith, and Frederick Sommer. Laid into this copy is a 1985 letter from Marilyn Symmes, signed by her. Miniscule edge wear. $35
86. COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY. Paul Wolff, My Experiences in Color Photography, New York: Grayson, 1948. Hardcover (silver-stamped green cloth), 10 ½ x 9 inches, 152 pages, 54 color halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Though the text is not extensive, the book claims to be an “advanced course” in color photography. The six and eight-color plates are rich and highly accomplished for the time, making the book also an “outstanding achievement” of modern color printing (produced in Germany). Among the technical points covered by Dr. Wolff are the miniature camera, film, exposure, macrophotography, and various appropriate subjects. Jacob Deschin, the photography editor of the New York Times, contributed the preface. Previous owner’s bookplate, light marks to cover, in dustjacket with tiny edgewear and a few tears. $35
87. COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY. Alexander Liberman, The Art and Technique of Color Photography, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1951. Hardcover (gold-stamped brown and black cloth), 13 x 10 inches, 226 pages, 195 color and 195 screen-gravure illustrations, dustjacket.
This important book comprises work by seventeen leading color photographers, all on the staffs of the Condé Nast publications Vogue, Glamor, and House & Garden. They are each give their own section, in which they write about color, their intentions, and the problems encountered. Included are Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst, Cecil Beaton, Gjon Mili, John Rawlings, Herbert Matter, and Erwin Blumenfeld. Most of the color images appear full-page, and a back section, with small gravure black-and-whites, gives technical information. Light fading to top edges, in dustjacket that has mild edgewear and a few tears. $250
88. COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY. Eliot Elisofon, Color Photography, New York: Viking Press, 1961. Hardcover (blue and red-stamped blue cloth), 12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 156 pages, halftone illustrations (most in color), dustjacket.
Life photographer Elisofon delves into color in chapters such as “Color Versus Black and White,” “Time of Day and Weather,” “Special Effects,” “Lighting,” “Composition,” and “Equipment and Techniques.” He provides most of the images, but in the final section, titled “An Appreciation,” he presents work by Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Robert Capa, William Kline, and others, most of it black-and-white. Two tiny bumps, in dustjacket that is laminated, chipped, and tape repaired. $50
89. Comment Obtenir de Bonnes Photographies, Paris: Kodak, c. 1900. Softcover, 8 ¼ x 5 ¼ inches, 152 pages, halftone illustrations.
This guide for amateur photographers translates as “How to Obtain Good Photographs.” It is rather extensive, covering equipment (Kodak, of course), posing, lighting, developing, printing, and other topics. Text in French. Covers worn. $10
90. CRAWFORD, William. The Keepers of Light: A History & Working Guide to Early Photographic Processes, Dobbs Ferry, New York: Morgan & Morgan, 1979. Hardcover (printed paper over boards), 9 ½ x 7 ½ inches, 324 pages, 250 halftone illustrations (some in color).
This was a popular and widely used book, still sought after today. Its strength was the explanations and instructions on the following alternative processes: salt print, ambrotype, cyanotype, platinum, palladium, kallitype, carbon, carbro, gum, oil, bromoil, photogravure, collotype, and woodburytype. Near fine condition, with lightly rubbed covers. $35
91. DMITRI, Ivan. How to Use Your Candid Camera, New York: Studio, c. 1940s. Hardcover (red-stamped cream cloth), 11 x 8 ½ inches, unpaginated, 56 screen-gravure illustrations, dustjacket.
This is photojournalist Dmitri’s very simple explanation of how to handle a Leica, a camera he had only recently begun using. After his foreword, there are a mere eight pages of instruction, on shutter speed, aperture, focus, and loading the camera. The vast bulk of the book comprises the rich gravure reproductions, each presented full-page, after a 35mm contact-size illustration from the same negative, which is accompanied by technical information. The subjects include animals, boats, planes, landscapes, and figures studies. Cloth darkened, in dustjacket that is worn, torn, chipped, and missing pieces. $25
92. DUDLEY, A. S. Cash and the Camera, Philadelphia: A. S. Dudley, 1912. Softcover, 9 ½ x 6 ¼ inches, 54 pages, unillustrated. Ephemera.
According to the printed letter that is laid in, “This book contains the condensed working laws of success in photography—it tells how to save as well as MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR CAMERA. If you don’t get these facts from this book, where are you going to get them?” It covers equipment, darkroom work, and how to sell photographs and win competitions. Especially helpful is another laid in piece, with near forty publishers and magazines listed, with their addresses and interests. Light wear and one tear to cover. $25
93. EDGERTON, Harold E., and James R. Killian, Jr. Flash! Seeing the Unseen by Ultra High-Speed Photography, Boston: Hale, Cushman & Flint, 1939. Hardcover (brown-stamped cream cloth), 11 ¼ x 8 ½ inches, 204 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
This was the first book on the subject, revealing extraordinary stop-action images to the general public. It predicted that “the invention and perfection of the Edgerton stroboscope will have far-reaching effects on our everyday lives—as in the case of the microscopes and the telescope. For whereas these latter instruments make visible things too small or too far away to be within the range of vision, so the stroboscope makes visible to us things too fast for the human eye to see.” Previous owner’s name and date, in dustjacket that is worn, torn, and chipped. $125
94. EDGERTON, Harold E. Handbook of High-Speed Photography, West Concord, Massachusetts: General Radio Company, 1963. Softcover, 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, 56 pages, halftone illustrations.
An instructional manual on high-speed photography, with text by William E. O’Neel. He covers the electronic stroboscope, flash delay, photoelectric pickoff, exposure, lighting techniques, and single and multiple-flashes. Edgerton contributed the foreword and most of the photographs, including the cover image of a bubble drop. Light browning to spine and one corner with faint crease. $35
95. EDGERTON, Harold E., and James R. Killian, Jr. Moments of Vision: The Stroboscopic Revolution in Photography, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1979 (second printing). Hardcover (white-stamped black cloth), 9 ½ x 11 ½ inches, 178 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket. Signed.
The text, by Killian, provides a biographical sketch of the engineer/photographer, describes the earliest developments of stroboscopy and the many applications of Edgerton’s techniques, and notes the influence of his photography on modern art. The images picture drops and splashes, bullets, animals, sports, atomic expositions, and underwater and nighttime subjects. This copy inscribed by Edgerton in the year of publication. One corner bumped, in dustjacket that is torn, chipped, and edgeworn. $75
96. EDGERTON, Harold E. Seeing the Unseen: Dr. Harold Edgerton and the Wonders of Strobe Alley, Rochester, New York: George Eastman House, 1994. Softcover (spiral bound), 10 ¼ x 10 ½ inches, 88 pages, halftone illustrations.
The main essay is a biography of Edgerton by Douglas Collins, covering his early years, work during World War II, and extensive time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Edited by Roger Bruce, there are also contributions by James L. Enyeart and Joyce E. Bedi. The book features gatefolds and numerous sidebars, such as one on the Rapatrionic shutter and fellow motion photographer Gjon Mili. Ends with a tear-out postcard of Edgerton’s iconic color image of a bullet piercing an apple and a CD with a selection of additional images.
97. FRAPRIE, Frank R. Portrait Lighting by Daylight and Artificial Light, Boston: American Photographic Publishing Company, 1935. Hardcover (gold-stamped red cloth), 9 ½ x 6 ¼ inches, 120 pages, 120 halftone illustrations.
Fraprie (American, 1874-1951) was the most influential author/publisher of American pictorial photography from 1910s to the 1940s, when he wrote many books and countless articles. He edited both the monthly American Photography and the American Annual of Photography, which were widely read in America and Europe. This treatise on portrait lighting includes many bird’s-eye diagrams, showing the placement of the subject, lights, and camera. Minor wear to tips and edges. $25
98. FRAPRIE, FRANK R., and Walter E. Woodbury. Photographic Amusements, Including Tricks and Unusual or Novel Effects Obtainable with the Camera, Boston: American Photographic Publishing Company, 1931 (tenth edition). Hardcover (black and gold-stamped red cloth), 9 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches, 272 pages, 178 halftone illustrations.
Among the darkroom antics covered are double exposures, bas-reliefs, fotomontages, creating artificial mirages, photographing electricity and the invisible, and printing on apples, eggs, and fabrics. Images by Lászlo Moholy-Nagy, Frances Bruguière, and other modernists are featured. Covers worn.
99. FRAPRIE, FRANK R., and Florence C. O’Connor. Photographic Amusements, Including Tricks and Unusual or Novel Effects Obtainable with the Camera, Boston: American Photographic Publishing Company, 1937 (eleventh edition). Hardcover (orange-stamped black cloth), 11 x 8 ¾ inches, 248 pages, 250 halftone illustrations.
This revised and enlarged edition, with a new coauthor, is biger in scale and possibly the final edition of this venerable title. Includes hilarious table-top images of grasshoppers smoking, driving, and canoeing. Among the advertising pictures are those of eggs cracking themselves over a bowl and skulls with human eyes. An entertaining and instructive publication. Near fine condition. $25
100. GOOD, Raymond A. Fundamentals and Fascinations of Fotography, no place: author, 1970. Softcover (plastic spiral binding), 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, 48 pages, line illustrations. Signed.
This self-published little item was apparently used by Good in teaching a 13-part course in basic photography. Among his topics were composition, portraiture, travelogs, motion pictures, and offset printing. This copy inscribed by Good. Light wear and spots to covers. $10
101. HALSMAN, Philippe. Halsman on the Creation of Photographic Ideas, New York: Ziff-Davis, 1961. Hardcover (white-stamped black cloth), 7 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches, 96 pages, 32 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Halsman’s fifth book, a little instruction manual on making, rather than taking, photographs. He explains his rules of the direct approach, unusual techniques, missing features, compounded features, and the literal method. Then, he outlines ways to stimulate the making of creative photographs; by brainstorming, memory, knowledge, object, the photograph itself, and self-stimulation. At the time of this book, Halsman’s pictures had appeared on the cover of Life magazine 87 times—more than any other photographer. Minor edge wear to the dustjacket. $25
102. How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, New York: Scovill & Adams Company, 1889. Softcover, 9 x 6 inches, 124 pages, line illustrations.
Dated January 1889, as if it was a magazine, this item begins with seven pages on the basic photographic steps of exposing the film, processing the negative, and making a print. The vast bulk of it comprises descriptions, prices, and promotions of Scovill’s own photographic equipment, from tripods to printing trays. The final pages include advertisements for a few American photographic periodicals. Covers work, torn, and separated. $10
103. ICA Camera Company.
Manuel de Photographie àl’Usage des Débutants, Saint Maur, France: Ica, c. 1900. Softcover, 6 x 4 inches, 32 pages, line illustrations. General instructions, in French, for amateur photographers.
Instruction pour le Maniment de l’Appareil Icarette III, Saint Maur, France: Ica, c. 1900. Softcover, 5 ½ x 4 inches, 8 pages, 4 line illustrations. Instruction manual, in French, for the Icarette III, a medium-format camera.
Pair: $10
104. ILES, George. Flame, Electricity, and the Camera, New York: Doubleday & McClure, 1900. Hardcover (gold, red, and black-stamped green cloth), 9 ¼ x 6 inches, 398 pages, 115 halftone illustrations (1 in color).
The subtitle of this exhaustive book sums up its goal to cover “Man’s Progress from the First Kindling of Fire to the Wireless Telegraphs and the Photography of Color.” Iles devotes chapters to such topics as metal, batteries, the telegraph, the telephone, and six on photographic subjects, like the dry plate, color photography, and photographing the sky. The color frontispiece of a butterfly breaks down the four printing plates used to produce a full-color image. George Iles (1852-1942) wrote and edited many books; this one went through twenty-five editions, this being the first. Front hinge slightly cracked and tiny wear to tips. $35
105. KRAUS, H. Felix. Use of Photographs in Layout, New York: M. L. R. Publishers, 1945. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 48 pages, 173 halftone illustrations.
Kraus studied at Vienna’s Academy of Arts and Crafts, presented solo shows of his photographs, and wrote on photographic technique for numerous dictionaries and periodicals. Here he addresses the use of photographs in advertising, using examples by others for which he sketches possible layouts. Among the photographers whose pictures he features are Andreas Feininger, Fritz Henle, and Herbert Matter. Perhaps the most illuminating lesson is a four-page spread that shows Lejaren à Hiller working on a cover image for Popular Photography, in which Hiller poses as Santa Claus. Covers worn. $25
106. LEE, Wellington. Photography, New York: Wellington Lee, 1989. Softcover, 8 ½ x 5 ¾ inches, 50 pages, 44 halftone illustrations.
A small but dense handbook on creative photography that begins with tributes by four other photographers, including Chin-San Long of China. Lee describes his methods of photographing figures, children, flowers, mist, and at night. He also covers various control methods, like high-contrast, distortions, texture screen, bas-relief, and his unique Addacolor technique, which turned black-and-white negatives into posterized color images. Near fine condition. $10
107. LEICA. Paul Wolff, My First Ten Years with the Leica, New York: Westermann, c. 1945. Hardcover, 11 x 9 ¼ inches, 262 pages, 10 halftone and 192 screen-gravure illustrations, dustjacket.
Dr. Wolff covers the early years of both the Leica 35mm camera and his own use of the new tool. The rich gravures are printed in black, brown, and other tonalities, often bleeding off the page, and he provides technical data about each one (lens, f-stop, filter, exposure, and film). His subjects include landscapes, people, men at work, the seasons, mountains, sporting events, animals, plants, and scientific explorations. Wear to top and bottom of spine, with the dustjacket adhered to the cover. $35
108. MEDICAL PHOTOGRAPHY. H. Lou Gibson, The Photography of Patients, Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, 1952. Hardcover (gold-stamped black cloth), 8 ¾ x 7 ½ inches, 120 pages, 93 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Gibson was an associate of the Photographic Society of America and worked in the medical division of Eastman Kodak. Here he covers fundamentals, equipment and studio, making close-ups, lens properties, posing and lighting, and film, paper, and filters. There are a few gruesome pictures of patients, such as the color frontispiece showing a baby with meningocele, with a large growth on the back of its head. Slight foxing to endpapers, in dustjacket with light wear. $35
109. MONTGOMERY WARD. Camera and photographic catalogs, Chicago. Softcovers (9 ½ x 6 ½ inches) and hardcovers (11 x 8 inches), screen-gravure and color halftone illustrations.
1941 Camera Catalog, 36 pages. Includes much more than just cameras—light meters, film,
enlargers, chemicals, paper, books, and film equipment.
1942 Camera Catalog, 36 pages. The cover promotes color photography with a viewer for
Kodachrome slides.
1943 Photographic Catalog, 36 pages. Begins with “Photographic Tips for Wartime
Photographers.”
1943 Revised Edition. Similar to above catalog.
1944-45 Photographic Catalog, 40 pages. The front cover and last two pages promote albums
for photographs.
1944-45 Revised Edition. Similar to the above catalog.
1947 Photographic and Optical Goods Catalog, 120 pages. A greatly expanded offering of
items, including clocks, thermometers, binoculars, and other things.
1948 Photographic Catalog, 124 pages. Among the most entertaining items are nearly two
dozen “smart sun glasses,” in which today one would look very hip.
1950 Photographic Catalog, 104 pages. Features a two-page spread, “Planning the Home
Darkroom,” and offers complete plans for 50 cents (postpaid).
1951 Photographic Catalog, 104 pages. Solicits customers to write in to the company’s Bob
Adams, for “answers to all your photographic problems.”
1952 Photographic Catalog, 104 pages. The first two pages highlight three “ready-to-use
camera outfits,” priced between $8.95 (for a simple box camera, with flash and case)
to $130 (for an Argus 35mm camera, with slide projector and screen).
1953 Photographic Catalog, 104 pages. Includes the Polaroid Land Camera and touts their
easy payment plan and mail order business.
1955 Photographic Book, 104 pages. Commences with the highest quality miniature cameras
they offered, among them the Leica M3. Laid into this copy is an unused order form
and envelope.
A great selection of mid-century department store catalogs that offer more than their own brand of equipment, including Kodak, Leica, and Speed Graphic. Wear to the softcovers, and previous owner’s name sometimes appears. Group of 13: $100
110. MORTENSEN, William. The Model: A Book on the Problems of Posing, San Francisco: Camera Craft, 1937. Hardcover (gray-stamped black cloth), 8 ¾ x 6 ¼ inches, 264 pages, 195 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
A detailed and widely read book that examines various types of models, how to dress and pose them, and such body parts as the head, arms, hands, torso, legs, and feet.
Mortensen (American, 1897-1965) was the most widely known American pictorialist during the 1930s and 1940s. He made flamboyant images, wrote many books and articles, and ran a photography school in Laguna Beach, California. Dustjacket chipped, torn, and missing small pieces. $35
111. MORTENSEN, William. Projection Control, San Francisco: Camera Craft, 1934. Hardcover (red-stamped brown cloth), 9 ¾ x 7 inches, 96 pages, 51 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
This is Mortensen’s first book, expanded from an article in Camera Craft and a pamphlet on the topic. The front of the book declares it a “treatise on advanced methods of projection printing, which gives increased scope to the creative faculty of the photographic artist.” Among its chapters are those on equipment, negatives, distortion, printing, and texture. Dustjacket chipped, torn, and missing pieces. $25
112. MORTENSEN, William. The New Projection Control, San Francisco: Camera Craft, 1942. Hardcover (brown-stamped brown cloth), 9 ¾ x 6 ¾ inches, 124 pages, 88 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
According to the flap, “this new, expanded and completely revised edition of a time-tested and extremely popular book provides a thorough course of instruction in every detail of these vastly useful techniques. In many ways this volume is more practical and more useful than the first edition, for it places greater emphasis and gives more detailed consideration to the more common everyday applications of Projection Control.” Dustjacket rubbed and torn. $25
113. MORTENSEN, William. Pictorial Lighting, San Francisco: Camera Craft, 1937. Hardcover (black-stamped yellow cloth), 9 ¾ x 6 ¾ inches, 116 pages, 41 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Mortensen’s tract on an array of lighting methods available to pictorialists: basic, contour, semi-silhouette, dynamic, plastic, outdoor, high and low key, and others. Near fine condition in dustjacket that is worn and missing a few pieces. $25
114. MORTENSEN, William. Pictorial Lighting, San Francisco: Camera Craft, 1947 (second edition). Hardcover (black-stamped yellow cloth), 9 ¾ x 6 ¾ inches, 222 pages, 161 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
This edition is revised and greatly expanded, more than doubling the number of reproductions. It includes three additional sections; Modifications, Light in Use, and Outdoor Lighting. Corners bumped, in worn dustjacket. $35
115. MORTENSEN, William. Print Finishing, San Francisco: Camera Craft, 1938. Hardcover (black-stamped orange cloth), 9 ¾ x 7 inches, 128 pages, 89 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
In this book, according to the front flap, “William Mortensen, master finisher of pictorial prints, tells you all about his methods.” They include the abrasion tone process, papers, drying, flattening, trimming, cropping, mountings, signatures, titles, and framing. Dustjacket torn and chipped. $25
116. MORTENSEN, William. Outdoor Portraiture: Problems of Face and Figure, San Francisco: Camera Craft, 1940. Hardcover (brown-stamped tan cloth), 9 ¾ x 7 inches, 144 pages, 113 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Mortensen’s thorough assessment of the subject, addressing equipment, handling the camera, general problems, lighting, backgrounds, and arrangement. Dustjacket missing some pieces. $25
117. MORTENSEN, William. Mortensen on the Negative, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1940. Hardcover (gold-stamped black cloth), 9 ¾ x 7 ¼ inches, 284 pages, 171 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Mortensen’s longest and most exhaustive book, in which he covers equipment, materials, optics, sensitometry, lighting, exposure, and development. He dramatically devotes the book to “the real photographers of the world—to those who, with their second-hand equipment and their makeshift darkrooms, are today fighting their solitary battles with their recalcitrant medium, not for money or for glory, but because they would rather make pictures than anything else in the world.” Dustjacket worn and missing one inside flap. $35
118. PAPER NEGATIVES. Nowell Ward, Picture Making with Paper Negatives, Boston: American Photographic Publishing Co., 1941. Hardcover (gold-stamped blue cloth), 10 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches, 88 pages, 16 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
This was one of the most popular titles on the subject, originally published in 1938 and going through at least six printings within a decade. Ward provides a thorough examination of the paper negative, perhaps the most widely used control process by pictorialists between the World Wars. Most of the illustrations are by Ward himself and are figure studies. He exhibited in pictorial salons during the late 1930s and taught at the Chicago School of Photography. Near fine condition, in price-clipped dustjacket that is scuffed and missing a few small pieces. $25
119. PHOTO ALBUMS. The Ideal Line, Chicago: J. L. Hanson Company, 1936. Softcover (leatherette covers with cord tie), 7 x 4 ½ inches, 60 pages, halftone illustrations.
The Hanson Company’s catalog of albums, binders, and scrapbooks. Among the largest sections is the 15-page one on photo albums. Includes many models, in cloth or leather, and such specialty items as “My Vacation Days,” “My Automobile Trip,” and “Pictures Tell the Story.” Some of them sport Art-Deco style covers. Small tear and light edgewear to covers. $25
120. PHOTOGRAVURE. Colin N. Bennett, Elements of Photogravure: Photo Printing from Copper Plates, London: Technical Press, 1935. Hardcover (black-stamped brown cloth), 7 ½ x 5 inches, 152 pages, 36 halftone and 4 screen-gravure illustrations (one in color). Third edition.
The revised and enlarged edition a text; most of the text originally appeared in the British Journal of Photography. The full subtitle indicates the breadth of its contents and purpose: “Screen photogravure simply explained with full working instructions and an explanatory chapter on modern rotary gravure printing. A book of practical interest to all enthusiastic photographers, printers, and etchers.” The frontispiece is a richly-printed color image of a basket with fruit against a black background. An American edition also appeared and was favorably reviewed by at least two monthly magazines (copies laid in). Light edgewear and previous owner’s label on endpaper. $50
121. POLAROID. $10 Polaroid Instant Money, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Polaroid, 1977. Softcover, 3 x 6 inches, 36 pages, unillustrated.
This is a complete booklet with 16 coupons for discounts on Polaroid products and services. In denominations of 50 cents and $1, they were good towards an SX-70 filmpack, flashbar, SX-70 or Pronto! camera, and Polaroid copy service. Tiny rubbing at spine. $10
122. STEADMAN, Frank Morris. Unit Photography, New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1914. Hardcover (gold-stamped brown cloth), 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, 162 pages, 12 screen-gravure and 10 line illustrations.
Steadman (1863-?) wrote at least three books, the other two being on home portraiture. In this one he explains his method for measuring light as a means of making the perfect exposure, thus the concept of “unit photography.” He discusses in detail actinometry, sensitimetry, and Hurter and Driffield theories. The uncredited full-page plates are unusually artistic and well-printed for a technical book, depicting mostly landscapes and figure studies in soft focus. Erasure to front free-end paper, with tiny edgewear to cloth. $35
123. STEREOGRAPH. E. Colardeau, Traité Général de Stéréoscopie, Paris: J. de Francia, 1924. Hardcover (printed paper over boards), 9 ¾ x 6 ½ inches, 228 pages, 125 halftone illustrations (some in color).
Professor Colardeau’s technical treatise on photographic stereos. Most of the reproductions are printed on 2 ½-x-5-inch cards which are inserted into black corners, allowing them to be removed. It is likely that a stereo viewer of some sort accompanied the book. Text in French. Blue cloth added to spine, with title written on it in ink. $50
124. STEREOGRAPH. Edward W. Earle, Points of View: The Stereograph in America—A Cultural History, Rochester, New York: Visual Studies Workshop, 1979. Hardcover (gold-stamped brown cloth), 11 ¾ x 8 inches, 120 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket. Ephemera.
A thoughtful study of the subject, with an introduction by V.S.W. director Nathan Lyons. In addition to Earle’s essay, the other contributions are “Stereographs: Local, National and International Art Worlds” by Howard S. Becker, “White Mountain Stereographs and the Development of a Collective Vision” by Thomas Southall, and “Pasteboard Masks, the Stereograph in American Culture, 1865-1910” by Harvey Green. Also includes a 65-page interpretive chronology, with illustrations and key developments. Laid into this copy is both a poster and a prospectus for the book. Usually seen in paperback. Tiny edgewear to bottom of cloth and top of dustjacket. $75
125. TABLE-TOP PHOTOGRAPHY. Arthur E. Gleed, The Art of Table-Top Photography, Boston: American Photographic Publishing Company, 1939. Hardcover (brown-stamped cream cloth), 7 ½ x 4 ¾ inches, 48 pages, 20 halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Gleed, a Canadian, addresses practical detail, picture building, composition, and photographic details in regards to table-top photography. He emphasizes the fantasy-like quality of images made this way, as the photographer not only creates the image but also the very subject of the pictures (perhaps the original examples of the more recent movement of “Fabriciated-to-be-Photographed” pictures). Among the scenes he illustrates are Little Red Riding Hood, a sword duel, a pirate ship, a witch’s outdoor pyre, and a drunk in a tuxedo conversing with a snowman. Tiny edgewear, in dustjacket that is browned, torn, and missing a few small pieces. $25
126. TECHNICAL EPHEMERA.
Amfix, Genochrome, Promicrol, and Now Cobrol, Dagenham, England: May & Baker,
c. 1950s. Pamphlet, 7 x 4 ¾ inches, four panels, halftone illustrations.
Beattie-Coleman Optical Vignette System, Santa Ana, California: Coleman Engineering,
c. 1970s. Card, 9 x 4 inches, halftone illustration, with pink feather taped on.
Cobrol, a Highly Concentrated Bromide Paper Developer, Dagenham, England: May & Baker,
c. 1950s. Pamphlet, 7 x 4 ¾ inches, four panels, halftone illustrations.
Guilleminot: Prix Courant, Plaques, Papiers, Films, Pellicules, Produits Photographiques, Paris:
Guilleminot, 1961. Softcover, 8 ¼ x 5 ¼ inches, 8 pages, unillustrated.
The Kodak Vari-Beam Clamplight, Rochester, New York: Eastman Kodak Company, 1948.
Softcover, 8 ½ x 4 ¾ inches, 12 pages, halftone illustrations.
3V Tri-Vision: Now Special Effects Made Easily with Most Cameras, New Rochelle, New York:
David & Sanford, c. 1950s. Pamphlet, 6 x 3 ½ inches, 4 panels, halftone images.
The Triumph of Film Photography, Rochester, New York: Eastman Kodak Company, 1907.
Softcover, 5 ¼ x 3 ¼ inches, 16 pages, 3 line illustrations.
Group of 7: $35
COLLECTIONS
127-160
127. AVEDON Collection. Eye of the Beholder: Photographs from the Collection of Richard Avedon, San Francisco: Fraenkel Gallery, 2006. Softcovers, 9 x 4 inches, duotones illustrations, slipcase. Ephemera.
This set was published a few years after Avedon’s death and accompanied an exhibition seen at both the Fraenkel Gallery and Pace/MacGill in New York. Gallery owner Jeffrey Fraenkel observes that “Richard Avedon knew a good photograph when he saw one. Though he was far more interested in making pictures than collecting them, he lived surrounded by photographs of every kind, from the exalted to the unknown.” Laid in is a complimentary card from Fraenkel and the New York Times review of the show at Pace/MacGill, on original newsprint.
I. Diane Arbus. Includes 12 reproductions: Arbus’ only portfolio, “A Box of Ten Photographs,” plus two additional prints by her. Avedon was friends with Arbus and was the first to purchase a copy of the portfolio.
II. The Countess de Castiglione. Features 16 images of one of the most beautiful woman of the 1860s. Made by Pierre-Louis Pierson, they include the famous one of her holding an oval picture mat up to her eye.
III. Peter Hujar. Comprises 8 portraits by Hujar, part of New York’s artistic underworld during the 1980s.
IV. Irving Penn. Reproduces 18 of Penn’s pieces, most of them from the cigarette butt series, nasty and large-scale. Penn was among Avedon’s few equals in New York as a professional photographer.
V. Etcetera. The largest of these little booklets, with 43 images, across a range of subjects and makers. Includes work by Cameron, Muybridge, Atget, Lartigue, Brassaï, Sander, Witkin, and others.
Near fine condition, in original box. Set of five: $75
128. BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE. After Daguerre: Masterworks of French Photography (1848-1900) from the Bibliothèque Nationale, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Bertger-Levrault, Paris, 1980. Hardcover (silver and blind-stamped black cloth), 11 ¼ x 8 ½ inches, 192 pages, 201 duotone illustrations, dustjacket. Signed, with ephemera.
Features two essays: “Early Photography in the Collection of the Cabinet des Estampes” by Jean-Pierre Seguin, and “The Beginning of Photography as Art in France” by Weston J. Naef. The catalogue section comprises biographic information and pictures with descriptions by nearly one hundred photographers. Stand-out names are: Eugène Atget, Edouard-Denis Baldus, Adolphe Braun, J. B. Greene, Gustave Le Gray, Etienne-Jules Marey, Nadar, and Félix Teynard. Laid into this copy are two original reviews of the show, from Time and the Christian Science Monitor. Additionally, this copy is signed by essayist Naef. Near fine condition, in dustjacket with tiny edgewear. $75
129. CANADIAN CENTER for ARCHITECTURE. Richard Pare, Photography and Architecture: 1839-1939, Montreal, Canada: Centre Canadien d’Architecture, 1982. Hardcover (cream cloth with printed labels affixed to front and spine), 10 x 12 ¼ inches, 284 pages, 148 duotone illustrations, dustjacket.
A major study of world architecture spanning the first century of photography, into the modernist era. Among the structures pictured are the Crystal Palace, London (1851), the Giza Pyramids, Egypt (1858), the Singer and Woolworth Buildings, New York
(1915), and Rockefeller Center, New York (1935). Contributing photographers include Edouard Baldus, Thomas Annan, Eugène Atget, Frederick H. Evans, Alfred Stieglitz, and D. J. Ruzicka. This is an exquisite publication, with plates by Meriden Gravure (some gatefolds) and the text in letterpress. Mint condition, in shrink wrap and original shipping box. $125
130. CHICAGO. David Travis, Photography in Chicago Collections, Art Institute of Chicago, 1982. Softcover, 12 x 9 inches, 48 pages, 23 halftone illustrations. Signed.
The catalog’s subtitle is “Selected to illustrate the history of the art of photography and to inaugurate the new galleries and facilities of the Department of Photography.” It drew from five institutional collections but also nearly two dozen important private ones, such as Arnold H. Crane, Reva and David Logan, and Mr. and Mrs. David C. Ruttenberg. Includes reproductions by Chuck Close, Franz Roh, Charles Sheeler, Alfred Stieglitz, Frederick Scott Archer, Edouard Baldus, and others. This copy signed by curator David Travis. Near fine condition. $25
131. COLLECTION of COLLECTION Catalogs.
Photographs from the Coke Collection, Davis: University of California Memorial Union, 1974.
Softcover, 9 ½ x 8 ½ inches, 24 pages, 27 halftone illustrations.
Photographie Francaise, 1840-1940: Collection Bibliotèque Nationale, Paris. Camera, February
1974, softcover, 11 ½ x 8 ¾ inches, 56 pages, 32 screen-gravure illustrations.
19th Century Photographs from the Collection, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Art
Museum, 1976. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 28 pages, halftone illustrations.
Special Report, Tucson: University of Arizona, Center for Creative Photography, 1976.
Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 72 pages, halftone illustrations.
Catalog of the U.C.L.A. Collection of Contemporary American Photographs, Los Angeles:
Frederick Wight Art Gallery, University of California, 1976. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½
inches, 72 pages, 28 halftones.
The Target Collection of American Photography, Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1977.
Softcover, 8 x 8 inches, 64 pages, halftone illustrations.
Photographs, Photographically Illustrated Books and Albums in the UNM Libraries: 1843-1933,
Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Art Museum, 1977. Softcover, 14 pages,
halftone illustrations.
Acquisitions: 1975-1977, Tucson: University of Arizona, Center for Creative Photography,
1978. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 32 pages, unillustrated.
Photographs from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Permanent Collection, St. Paul, Minnesota:
College of St. Catherine, 1979. Softcover, 9 ½ x 6 ¼ inches, 8 pages, 1 halftone illustration.
Photographs: 1900-1950, From the Collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Tempe,
Arizona: Arizona State University Northlight Gallery, 1979. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½
inches, 56 pages, 7 halftone illustrations.
The Robert Marks Collection of Photographs, Charleston, South Carolina: Gibbes Art Gallery,
1979. Softcover, 6 x 9 inches, 24 pages, 15 halftone illustrations.
American Photographs, 1970-1980: The Washington Art Consortium, Seattle: Washington Art
Consortium, 1980. Softcover, 10 ½ x 8 ½ inches, 80 pages, 126 halftone images.
Catalog of Twentieth Century Photographs, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Art
Museum, 1980. Softcover, 8 ½ x 10 ¼ inches, 58 pages, 70 halftone illustrations.
Transfixed by Light: Photographs from the Menil Foundation Collection: Selected by Beaumont
Newhall, Houston: Rice University Institute for the Arts, 1981. Softcover, 10 x 8
inches, 48 pages, 23 halftone illustrations.
Acquisitions, 1973-1980, Rochester, New York: George Eastman House, 1981. Softcover,
10 ¼ x 8 ½ inches, unpaginated, halftone illustrations (some in color).
Photographs from the Collection of Floyd and Josephine Segel, Milwaukee Art Museum, 1982.
Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 36 pages, 18 halftone illustrations.
Acquisitions 1981, Riverside: California Museum of Photography, 1982. Softcover, 10 x
8 ½ inches, 16 pages, halftone illustrations.
Masterpieces of Photography from Wesleyan and Private Collections, Middletown, Connecticut:
Wesleyan University, Davison Art Center, 1982. Softcover, 10 x 7 inches, 32 pages, 17 halftone illustrations.
Selections from the Strauss Photography Collection, Denver Art Museum, 1982. Softcover, 10 x
8 inches, 40 pages, halftone illustrations.
Caroline Sturgis Tappan & the Grand Tour: A Collection of Nineteenth-Century Photographs,
Lenox, Massachusetts: Lenox Library Association, 1982. Softcover, 11 12/ x 9
inches, 78 pages, halftone illustrations.
Subjective Vision: The Lucinda W. Bunnen Collection of Photographs, Atlanta: High Museum of
Art, 1983. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 64 pages, halftone illustrations.
Photo Collecting at Vassar: 100 Years + 10, Poughkeepsie, New York: Vassar College
Art Gallery, 1983. Softcover, 8 x 8 inches, 64 pages, halftone illustrations.
National Photography Collection Annual Report, 1982/1983, Ottawa, Canada: Public Archives,
1984. Softcover, 9 ¾ x 6 ½ inches, 20 pages, 5 halftone illustrations.
101 Photographs: Selections from the Arthur and Yolanda Steinman Collection, Santa Barbara
Museum of Art, 1984. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 12 pages, 6 halftone images.
The Lay of the Land: 20th Century Landscape Photographs from the Hallmark Photographic
Collection, Kansas City, Missouri: Hallmark Cards, 1984. Softcover, 8 ½ x 11 inches,
12 pages, 16 halftone illustrations.
Cityscapes: 20th Century Urban Images from the Hallmark Photographic Collection, Kansas City,
Missouri: Hallmark Cards, 1984. Softcover, 8 pages, 10 halftone illustrations.
Cincinnati Collects Photographs, Cincinnati Art Museum, 1985. Softcover, 10 x 7 ½ inches,
24 pages, 16 halftone illustrations.
The Power of Light: Daguerreotypes from the Robert Harshorn Shimshak Collection, Fine Arts
Museums of San Francisco, 1986. Softcover, 9 x 6 inches, 48 pages, 29 duotone
illustrations.
1988 Acquisitions: The Hallmark Photographic Collection, Kansas City, Missouri: Hallmark
Cards, 1988. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 12 pages, 18 halftone illustrations.
Photography in the Museum Collection, Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1988. Softcover, 11 x
8 ½ inches, 64 pages, 67 duotone illustrations.
Guide to Collections, Riverside: California Museum of Photography, 1989. Softcover, 9 ¾ x
8 ½ inches, 64 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color).
Guide to the Photographic Collections at the Historic New Orleans Collection, Historic New
Orleans Collection, 1989. Softcover, 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, 24 pages, 22 halftone
illustrations.
Inside Out: 50 Years of Collecting, Rochester, New York: George Eastman House, 2000.
Softcover, 8 x 8 inches, 32 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color).
Crossing America: Photographs from the Consolidated Freightways Collection, Part I, New York:
Christie’s, 2011. Softcover, 10 ½ x 8 ¼ inches, 78 pages, 130 halftone illustrations.
Substantial group of 34 catalogs: $250
132. DETROIT. Photographs from Detroit Collections, Detroit Institute of Arts, 1983. Softcover, 12 x 9 inches, 38 pages, 18 halftone illustrations.
Catalog for an accompanying exhibition that inaugurated the museum’s first gallery devoted to photographs. Both individual and institutional collections were drawn upon, and the cover features a flower study by Tina Modotti, from the D.I.A. itself. Essay by Ellen Sharp, the museum’s curator of graphic arts, the department that includes photographs. Minor cover wear. $25
133. DRAKE Collection. Christian A. Peterson, The Poetics of Vision: Photographs from the Collection of Harry M. Drake, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1997. Hardcover (black and blind-stamped green cloth), 10 ¼ x 10 ¼ inches, 80 pages, 35 duotone and 2 color halftone illustrations, dustjacket. Signed, with ephemera.
Includes a statement by the collector and a short essay by curator Peterson. The full-page reproductions are accompanied by commentary on the images and their makers, including such famous figures as Paul Caponigro, Paul Strand, and Minor White (whose work represented about half of the collection—over 100 photographs). But lesser-knowns also appear, such as Paul Funk Angelo, Elio Ciol, Christopher Faust, and David Teplica. Printed in an edition of only 500 copies. Laid into this copy is Drake’s business card, an invitation to the accompanying exhibition, and Drake’s 2012 obituary. This copy boldly signed by the collector. Near fine condition. $35
134. EASTMAN HOUSE. Robert A. Sobieszek, Masterpieces of Photography from the George Eastman House Collections, New York: Abbeville Press, 1985. Hardcover (gold and blind-stamped maroon cloth), 13 ¼ x 11 ¼ inches, 466 pages, 200 duotone and color illustrations, dustjacket. Ephemera.
Highlights from the oldest ongoing museum dedicated to the art, history, and science of photography, founded by the 1947 will of Kodak inventor George Eastman and located in Rochester, New York. Curator Sobieszek discusses each photograph in a broad context, relating them to social, cultural, and aesthetic forces. They have been grouped into four episodic time frames, each roughly coincident with distinctive periods. They are: The First Generation and the Beginning of a Medium, 1938-1855; Imperial Visions and Literary Tastes, 1855-1880; Symbolism, Formalism, and the Problems of Style, 1880-1940; and Dynamics of Pluralism: Matters of the Heart and Eye, 1940-1980. Features work by Diane Arbus, Hans Belmer, Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Curtis, F. Holland Day, Lee Friedlander, Cindy Sherman, Joel Peter-Witkin, and nearly two hundred others. This is an oversize, weighty volume. Laid into this copy is Sobieszek’s G.E.H. business card. Near fine condition, except for lightly sunned dustjacket (as is normal). $150
135. HAWAII. Van Deren Coke, Twentieth-Century Photographs from Hawaii Collections, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1984. Softcover, 96 pages, duotone illustrations.
Catalog for exhibition drawn from the Honolulu Academy of Arts and about fifteen private collectors. Features the essays “Twentieth-Century Creative Photography” by Coke and “Photography and Thought” by Frank Tillman. The cover reproduces Lotte Jacobi’s 1929 “Head of a Dancer.” Near fine condition. $25
136. ISENBERG Collection. American Daguerreotypes from the Matthew R. Isenburg Collection, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Art Museum, 1989. Hardcover (gold-stamped maroon cloth), 11 x 8 ¾ inches, 130 pages, duotone and color illustrations, dustjacket.
This is a nicely designed and printed book, highlighting an important collection of daguerreotypes. It features portraits and images of the California gold rush and other fabulous outdoor scenes, like Niagara Falls and the federal capitol building in 1846. Among the makers are John Plumbe, Jr., Platt D. Babbitt, Robert H. Vance, and Jeremiah Gurney. The collector provides the essay “The Wonder of the American Daguerreotype” and professor Alan Trachtenberg “The Daguerreotype: American Icon.” Previous owner’s name, near fine condition, in opened shrink wrap. $100
137. JAMMES Collection. André and Marie-Thérèse Jammes, Niepce to Atget: The First Century of Photography from the Collection of André Jammes, Art Institute of Chicago, 1977. Softcover, 11 x 12 inches, 116 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket. Signed.
Oversize exhibition catalog covering an important private collection of nineteenth-century photographs. Introduction by Chicago curator David Travis and text by the Jammeses on collecting and various aspects of their holdings. Features illustrations by Hippolyte Bayard, Charles Marville, Roger Fenton, Gustave Le Gray, Charles Nègre, and other early masters. This copy signed by Travis. Near fine condition. $125
138. JUHL Collection. KUNSTPHOTOGRAPHIE um 1900: Die Sammlung Ernst Juhl. Hamburg, Germany: Museum für Kunst und Gewerb, 1989. Softcover, 12 ½ x 9 ½ inches, 310 pages, halftone illustrations.
This massive catalog documents the 933 pictorial photographs collected by German art critic Ernst Juhl (1850-1915), now one of Europe’s most important holdings on the subject. It includes many small reproductions plus about 100 full-page plates, printed in the original tones of black, brown, green, blue, and orange. Six essays examine various aspects of the collection and the international movement of pictorial photography. Among those with numerous illustrations are Rudolph Dührkoop, Hugo Erfurth, Heinrich Kühn, and the Hofmesiter brothers. Includes a chronology of exhibitions of creative photographs in Hamburg (1893-1911) along with an index to the photographers who showed. This is a significant publication. Text in German. Bottom of spine bumped. $100
139. KINSEY INSTITUTE. Peek: Photographs from the Kinsey Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico: Arena Editions, 2000. Hardcover (purple-stamped green cloth),
11 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 188 pages, 125 color and duotone illustrations, dustjacket.
This is a truly wide-ranging group of sexual and erotic images, the first published from the vast holdings of the institute at Indiana University, founded by the sex researcher Alfred C. Kinsey. They cover intercourse, oral sex, bondage, gay, and other proclivities. While most are by unknown photographers, George Platt Lynes and Wilhelm von Gloeden also contribute. Features scholarly essays by critic Carol Squires, curator Jennifer Pearson Yamashiro, and professors Betsy Stirratt and Jeffrey A. Wolin. There is something for everyone here, though it represents less than one percent of the institute’s holdings. Near fine condition, in dustjacket with a few tiny wrinkles. $50
140. LaSALLE NATIONAL BANK. Photographs from the Collection of LaSalle National Bank, Chicago: LaSalle National Bank, 1995. Hardcover (silver-stamped black cloth), 12 ¼ x 9 ½ inches, 188 pages, 85 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
This bank collection commenced in 1969, when Beaumont and Nancy Newhall were commissioned to make the first acquisitions, numbering about 250. At the time of this publication, in 1995, over 350 different photographers were represented. Included in this book are reproductions and comments on the work of such masters as Arbus, Becher, Cameron, Evans, Frank, Hosoe, Kertész, Mapplethorpe, Muybridge, Outerbridge, Sander, Talbot, and Weston. Near fine condition. $50
141. LIBRARY of CONGRESS. Paul Vanderbilt, Guide to the Special Collections of Prints & Photographs in the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress, 1955. Softcover, 10 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches, 200 pages, unillustrated.
This guide comprises entries for over 800 discrete collections held by the library. Most include general and specific descriptions of their contents, with biographical information on the maker. Among the notable ones are Civil War photographs by Mathew Brady, 46 by Alfred Stieglitz, 200 by Doris Ulmann, and 75 by women pictorialists collected by Francis Benjamin Johnston. $25
142. LIBRARY of CONGRESS. A Century of Photographs, 1846-1946: Selected from the Collections of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1980. Hardcover (black-stamped tan cloth), 9 ½ x 11 ½ inches, 210 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.
Compiled by Reneta V. Shaw into four sections: The Pioneers, Creative Photography, Documentary Photography Abroad, and Documentary Photography in the United States. Features short texts by nine photographic experts connected to the Library of Congress, among them Alan Fern, Jerald C. Maddox, and Paul Vanderbilt. Near fine condition, except for previous owner’s bookplate and tiny edgewear to dustjacket. $35
143. MILLER-PLUMMER Collection.
Particulars: Selections from the Miller-Plummer Collection of Photography, Rochester, New York: International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, 1983. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 60 pages, halftone illustrations. Catalog for exhibition drawn from the collection of Harvey Shipley Miller and Randall Plummer, who began in 1973, with a purchase of a portrait of Sir John Herschel by Julia Margaret Cameron. Divided into twenty sections, such as “The Formal Likeness,” “Arcadian Sentiments,” and “A Non-Optical Vision.” Includes an introduction by curator Robert A. Sobeiszek. Near fine condition.
The Miller-Plummer Collection, New York: Christie’s, 2009. Softcover, 10 ½ x 8 ¼ inches, 120 pages, halftone illustrations. Auction catalog for 117 lots, including a daguerreotype of a sleeping (or dead) child by Marcus Root, Alexander Gardner’s two-volume Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War, a complete set of Camera Work, photograms by László Moholy-Nagy, a composite by Ray Metzker, and a self-portrait Polaroid by Robert Mapplethorpe. Near fine condition.
The pair: $35
144. MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE of ARTS. Carroll T. Hartwell, The Making of a Collection: Photographs from the Collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1984. Hardcover (gray-stamped white cloth), 11 ½ x 9 ½ inches, 152 pages, duotone and color illustrations, dustjacket.
Hartwell, the founding curators of one of the few art museums to collect photographs starting in the 1960s, tells the story of his acquisitions by gift and purchase. He commenced the collection in 1964, when he purchased s complete run of Camera Work. Many locally based photographers of national note became represented in the collection, among them Tom Arndt, Frank Gohlke, Gary Hallman, James Henkel, Stuart Klipper., and JoAnn Verburg. Photographers represented by more than one reproduction include Lewis Hine, Walker Evans, Richard Avedon, and Lee Friedlander. Usually seen in softcover. Near fine condition, in dustjacket with sunned spine. $35
145. MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE of ARTS. Christian A. Peterson, Masterpiece Photographs from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts: The Curatorial Legacy of Carroll T. Hartwell, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2008. Hardcover (silver-stamped tan cloth), 12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 124 pages, 50 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
Peterson, who worked with Hartwell for over twenty-five years, examines the curator’s acquisitions and exhibitions, including Richard Avedon’s important 1970 solo show. He discusses what he considered the fifty most salient and fully realized photographs in the museum’s permanent collection. They range from a salt print by inventor William Henry Fox Talbot to one by Minnesota’s own Alec Soth (who happened to work in the museum’s darkroom before his stardom). Among the lesser-known inclusions are Henry Bosse, Jaromir Funke, Consuelo Kanaga, and Val Telberg. Mint condition, in shrink wrap. $35
146. NASH Collection.
The Graham Nash Collection, Los Angeles: Nash Press, 1978. Softcover, 8 ½ x 11 inches, 72 pages, 160 halftone illustrations. Signed. Musician Graham Nash introduces his first exhibition catalog with the following short statement: “The essence of a fine photograph is found in its power to move. By seeing this exhibition, I hope the viewer will experience the pleasure of looking and feel the sense of recognition that continues to move me.” Features 40 full-page plates, a checklist, and a conversation with Graham Howe. This copy signed and numbered (237/500) by Nash. Near fine condition.
Photographs from the Collection of Graham Nash, New York: Sotheby’s, 1990. Hardcover (black cloth), 11 x 8 ½ inches, unpaginated, 460 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket. Signed. Auction catalog for 460 lots from Nash’s collection. Features nineteenth and twentieth-century photographers, from Berenice Abbott to Piet Zwart. Paul Outerbridge’s self-portrait (in mask and top hat, reproduced on the cover) brought the most, at $99,000. Laid in is an announcement and list of prices realized. This copy signed and numbered (276/500) by Nash. Dustjacket with light wrinkling at top.
Pair: $150
147. NATIONAL FILM BOARD. Contemporary Canadian Photography from the Collection of the National Film Board, Edmonton, Alberta: Hurtig, 1984. Hardcover, 11 ¾ x 10 inches 176 pages, 127 halftone illustrations (some in color), dustjacket.
The photographs are from 1950 to the mid-1980s, including work by Yousuf Karsh, Robert Frank, Evergon, and others. Essays provided by Hugh MacLennas and Martha Langford, bilingually in French and English. Mint condition, in shrink wrap. $50
148. NAYLOR Collection. The Naylor Collection: The Complete History of Photography, Arlington, Massachusetts: Naylor Collection, 2005. Softcover, 16 ½ x 11 ¾ inches, 40 pages, 205 halftone illustrations (most in color), compact disc, original wood slipcase. Signed, with ephemera.
This elaborate item surveys Thurman F. (Jack) Naylor’s collection of more than 30,000 photographically related objects. Among the highlights are artifacts from the medium’s pre-history, daguerreotypes, espionage equipment, Kodaks, Leicas, Polaroid cameras, and a vast library of books and periodicals. Portraits of famous photographers (like Ansel Adams) are included, as are original prints by Margaret Bourke-White, Edward S. Curtis, and Harold Edgerton. This oversize publication sports a thick metal spine (with screw posts), one mirror-like reflective page, a metal sheet as the rear cover, and the hand-crafted wooden slipcase. Laid in is a clipping from the Wall Street Journal (on original newsprint) that indicates that Naylor was asking $20 million for the collection. Undoubtedly produced in a very small number, all of which were signed “Jack” on the introductory page. In the original shipping carton. Fine condition. $250
149. NEW ORLEANS Museum of Art. Diverse Images: Photographs from the New Orleans Museum of Art, Garden City, New York: American Photographic Book Publishing Company, 1979. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 128 pages, 96 halftone illustrations.
A catalog of photographs in the museum’s permanent collection, arranged alphabetically by photographer, along with group portfolios. Includes reproductions by Nadar, Timothy H. O’Sullivan, Frederick H. Evans, Man Ray, Margaret Bourke-White, Ilse Bing, Paul Outerbridge, Edward S. Curtis, and others. Introduction by curator Tina Freeman. Near fine condition. $25
150. QUILLAN Collection. The Quillan Collection of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Photographs, New York: Sotheby’s, 2008. Softcover, 11 ¾ x 9 inches, 172 pages, 69 full-color halftones, dustjacket.
Catalog for auction of 69 lots, the entire collection of the Quillan Company, built over twenty years by photography expert Jill Quasha (notice the repetition of “Q”). The only criteria was outstanding aesthetics and they largely succeeded. It comprised mostly nineteenth century and modernist master photographers, like Cameron, Marville, Négre, Watkins, Bellmer, Bruguière, Drtikol, and Mohoy-Nagy. Includes an interview with Quasha by Sotheby’s Denise Bethel. A few bumped corners and spine, in clear dustjacket that is wrinkled and torn. $25
151. RUBEL Collection. Masterworks of Photography from the Rubel Collection, Sacramento, California: Crocker Art Museum, 1982. Softcover, 12 x 12 inches, unpaginated, 52 full-color illustrations.
Editor Sean H. Thackrey notes that “The Rubel collection has been formed with the intent that each photograph it contains should directly touch the spirit, and should reward prolonged meditation. It purpose is contemplative; and it has a theme, it concerns the nature of photography itself—the human qualities and implication of photographic images.” The reproductions feature mostly nineteenth-century workers, such as Hill and Adamson, Talbot, Cameron, Salzmann, Teynard, and Atget. Minor cover wear. $25
152. SEGEL Collection. Of People and Places: The Floyd and Josephine Segel Collection of Photography, Milwaukee Art Museum, 1987. Softcover, 12 ¼ x 9 inches, 272 pages, halftone illustrations.
A heavily illustrated catalog of the work of 83 photographers, arranged alphabetically. Those with extra reproductions include Atget, Bellocq, Cartier-Bresson, Fink, Halsman, Koudelka, Model, Papageorge, Stieglitz, and Tice. Introduction by curator Verna Posever Curtis. The Segels donated to the museum their collection of nearly 350 photographs of human interest in toto. Tiny edge marks. $35
153. SHELDON MEMORIAL Art Gallery. Photographs: Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska: Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, 1977. Softcover, 8 ½ x 10 ¼ inches, 212 pages, 100 screen-gravure and 895 halftone illustrations.
This seemingly unlikely museum (a 1963 Philip Johnson building) began acquiring photographs in 1943, when it obtained prints by Berenice Abbott and Edward Weston through the Work Projects Administration. Director Norman A. Geske writes about the collection and its history. Features a Weston on the cover and an ambitious catalog of nearly 900 photographs, all of them reproduced in thumb-nail size. Faint rubbing to covers. $25
154. SIMON Museum. Gloria William Sander, The Collectible Moment: Catalogue of Photographs in the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California: Norton Simon Museum, 2006. Hardcover (white-stamped blue cloth), 11 ¾ x 10 inches, 344 pages, duotone and color illustrations, dustjacket. Signed, with ephemera.
This substantial publication reproduces all 526 photographs in the museum’s collection. It began in 1969 (as the Pasadena Art Museum), under curator Fred R. Parker, when few art museums were paying attention to the creative possibilities of photography. Parker emphasized contemporary West-Coast photographers who used the medium inter-disciplinarily. But he also acquired work by major figures like Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Imogen Cunningham, Frederick Sommer, and Edward Weston. Includes two essays on the collection, along with remembrances by Peter C. Bunnell, Robert Sobieszek, Parker, and others. Laid into this copy is the press release, two announcements for the accompanying show, and Parker’s current business card. Also, this copy signed by the author, Parker, and 11 of the photographers, among them Judy Dater, Robert Fichter, Victor Landweber, and Leland Rice. Near fine condition. $250
155. STIEGLITZ Collection. Weston J. Naef, The Collection of Alfred Stieglitz: Fifty Pioneers of Modern Photography, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Viking Press, 1978. Hardcover (gold-stamped brown cloth), 10 ½ x 9 inches, 530 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket. Signed.
This is the massive catalog of the Met’s Stieglitz collection of 580 photographs by other pictorialists, many of them reproduced. Includes Naef’s in-depth essay on the pictorial movement, detailed information about the photographers in the collection and their pieces, and an extensive bibliography. Still a major reference book. This copy signed by Naef. Near fine condition. $50
156. TORONTO. Maia-Mari Sutnik, Responding to Photography: Selected Work from Private Toronto Collections, Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1984. Softcover,
11 ¾ x 8 ¼ inches, 96 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color).
Accompanied an exhibition of over 150 photographs at the museum, with the essay “A Republic of Images” by Geoffrey James. Along with international workers, includes pictures by Canadian photographers such as William Notman, Ralph Greenhill, Lynne Cohen, Michel Lambeth, and Michael Snow. Cover lightly rubbed. $25
157. UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA. Sheryl Conkelton, University of California: Directory of Photographic Collections, Riverside: California Museum of Photography, c. 1985. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, unpaginated, unillustrated.
This first such survey of the California system covered all nine campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. It was designed to introduce scholars from all fields to the research possibilities of the collections listed, and thus included all types of holdings, including academic and administrative, research documentation, study collections, and both highly specialized and general interest collections. Ninety-six distinct collections are covered by the following information: collection title and location, supervisor, hours, description, contents, subject matter, access, publications, and loans. A random sampling of participating facilities include the San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve, Center for United States/Mexican Studies, Human Interaction Laboratory, and Museum of Cultural History. Includes indexes by subject and photographer. Near fine condition. $25
158. WAGSTAFF Collection. A Book of Photographs from the Wagstaff Collection, New York: Gray Press, 1978. Hardcover (blind-stamped brown cloth), 11 ½ x
11 ½ inches, 144 pages, screen-gravure illustrations, dustjacket. Ephemera.
This is one of the outstanding books on a personal collection. Wagstaff, a former curator and the companion of Robert Mapplethorpe, possessed a serious and quirky eye. While the cover features an elegant still life by Mapplethorpe, many of the images inside are by little-known individuals, such as Bill Arnold, Herbert W. Gleason, the Gray Brothers, Gérald Incandela, and Mole & Thomas. The lack of an essay demonstrates Wagstaff’s commitment to the pictures themselves. Laid in is 16-page pamphlet with a checklist of the accompanying exhibition at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art, organized by Jane Livingston. This book is rare in hardcover. Near fine condition. $350
159. WALTER Collection. A Personal View: Photography in the Collection of Paul F. Walter, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1985. Hardcover (gold-stamped brown cloth), 11 x 9 ½ inches, 136 pages, 84 screen-gravure illustrations, dustjacket.
Features work by nineteenth-century photographers like Roger Fenton and Eadweard Muybridge, pictorialists Léonard Misonne and D. J. Ruzicka, and twentieth-century masters Paul Strand and Josef Sudek. Curator John Pultz puts Walter’s holdings into perspective by contributing the essay “Collectors of Photography.” Near fine condition, in dustjacket that has a small gouge and is sunned (as is normal). $35
160. WEINSTEIN Collection.
Martin Weinstein’s Gifts to the Photography Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1992. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 28 pages, 20 halftone illustrations. Signed. Catalog for a show at the museum, with an essay by curator Carroll T. Hartwell on Martin Weinstein’s collecting proclivities. Weinstein was a long-term Minneapolis attorney and museum trustee and now runs a prominent art gallery in town. Among the standout images reproduced are Todd Webb’s “Avenue of the Americas, New York” and Robert Doisneau’s “Marriage Portrait,” shot from behind the official photographer both with and without the subjects (a diptych cleverly presented on the front and back covers). This copy signed by both Hartwell and Weinstein. Near fine condition.
31 Years: Gifts from Martin Weinstein, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2013. Softcover, 10 x 8 inches, 126 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color). Signed. This more substantial catalog accompanied another exhibition highlighting Weinstein’s donations to the museum. The cover features Arthur Siegel’s “Right of Assembly” and the color images are by Alec Soth, Zoltán Jókay, Ragubir Singh, and Robert Polidori. Includes an essay by curator David E. Little, plus two conversations, with Little and photographer Alec Soth. This copy signed by Weinstein. Fine condition.
Pair: $50
Catalog 8 — September 2014