|
Description |
This
collection was heavily influenced by August Sander, and part of the
intent was to form a portrait collection cataloging American people and
culture in the early 20th century.
A specific photographic format was emphasized due to its broad
usage and diversity. |
| More Images | To see a number of additional images, view the on-line exhibit at Luminous-Lint. |
|
Format |
The archive
is composed solely of real photo postcards, which approximate 3.5”x5.5”
in size, a common photographic format in the early 20th
century. These photographs
are almost entirely non-commercial, as commercial or quantity prints are
largely excluded from the archive.
Many were unique prints originally and most of the remainder are
generally the only surviving copies. |
|
Image Count |
In excess of
8,500 individual images (detailed inventory available) |
|
Categories |
This
collection is divided into a total of 479 categories.
These range from traditional portraits, in a wide array of
specific categories, such as
Women with
Hats,
to an incredible array of environmental and occupational categories,
such as Industry - Manufacturing: Women.
|
|
Storage |
The archive
is stored in archival plastic pages in a total of 86 8.5’x11” 3-ring
binders. The binders
require approximately 7.5 linear feet of shelf space. |
|
Provenance |
All
photographs were collected by one individual over approximately a
35-year period. They were
purchased individually throughout the US and Europe, from specialized
antique image and postcard dealers.
Many were also purchased from specialized auctions, long since
discontinued. |
|
Time Period |
The vast
majority of images are c. 1905-1920.
A small percentage date into the late 1930’s. |
|
Locale |
Primarily
US, although a small percent of images are from the UK and other foreign
countries |
|
Photographers |
Although the
majority of images are from either amateur or unknown professional
photographers, a significant percent of images are by identified
photographers. These
identified photographers may be recognized in this genre but are unknown
to the photography world. |
|
|
$200,000
|
|
Inspection |
Inspection
by appointment in Silver Spring, MD |
|
Buyer
Qualification |
Individuals
not associated with a gallery or institution will need to provide
evidence either of their position or the wherewithal to make a purchase,
prior to inspecting the archive. |
|
Appraisal |
Institutions
requiring an appraisal will be referred to a nationally recognized
expert in this field. |
|
Sale of
Entirety |
Only a sale
for the entire archive will be pursued.
No sale of individual lots, sections or groups will be
considered. |
|
Payment |
Bank Wire
Transfer only |
|
Trade
|
An exchange
of real estate, for entire or partial payment, may be considered. |
| Press | In addition to the 5 images shown on the Home Page, an additional 30 images are available for editorial use. All 35 images can be provided in hi-res format for publication. |
|
Photography
Galleries |
A generous
and exclusive
broker agreement will be signed with qualified vintage photography
galleries or dealers capable of marketing this archive. |
Sotheby's had offered to auction this archive, when it was less than half of its current size. They declined to proceed, however, when it became apparent that their security procedures made handling an archive of this magnitude impractical. Note that although there are a few highly sophisticated collectors of real photo postcards, such as cosmetics executive Leonard Lauder, most photography dealers and collectors remain unaware of the significance of this photographic format.
The primary reason for this situation is the very low percentage of artistically significant real photo postcards. Realistically, only about one in perhaps 10,000 postcards is artistically or photographically significant, and only a handful of dealers carry any concentration of these. Thus they are largely “invisible” to most of the photography-collecting world. Consequently, most knowledgeable collectors and dealers judge the format to be of no significance, based on the caliber of the publicly visible majority of images.
One of the truly great real photo postcard collections to be created was assembled by Andreas Brown, noted New York bookseller and author of Prairie Fires and Paper Moons: The American Photographic Postcard, 1900-1920. Much of this collection was subsequently sold to The J. Paul Getty Museum, but it is not believed to be publicly exhibited.
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