Baron Adolf de Meyer

platinum print, on a triple mount, signed calligraphically in pencil on the third mount, ‘No. 7,’ ‘201,’ and other notations in pencil on the reverse, in the original exhibition frame, a printed ‘201’ exhibition label affixed to the glass, titled and inscribed ‘Reserved’ in an unidentified hand and with a ‘Chapman Bros., Picture Frame Makers, London’ label on the reverse, circa 1910

Mrs. S. S. Spaulding, Buffalo, acquired from the International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography, 1910

To her daughter, Photo Secessionist photographer, Charlotte Spaulding Albright

By descent to her son, Langdon Albright, Jr.

Private collector, Buffalo, 1979

Sotheby’s New York, 17 April 2002, Sale 7777, Lot 58

Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, New York, International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography, November - December 1910

Academy Notes, Volume VI, January 1911-December 1911, p. 12 (this print)

Photograms of the Year, 1912, pl. LXIX

This large exhibition photograph is on richly-toned platinum paper and possesses a luminosity that is truly remarkable. DeMeyer's handling of the light -- both in the taking of the picture and then in the darkroom -- is masterful and shows him working at the peak of his powers. The print is in excellent condition. Indeed the entire exhibition package – the frame, the original glass, etc. – is very well preserved. There is a small portion missing from the numerical label on the glass. The framer's label on the reverse has some losses. The black finish of the frame has been touched up in several places. Nonetheless, the near-excellent preservation of the whole is quite notable.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This print of  ‘Maria, A Study,’ was one of 25 photographs by Baron de Meyer included in the landmark International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography, held at the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, in 1910.  The print is housed in its original frame from that exhibition, with the original exhibition number affixed to its glass.  Aside from 12 photographs purchased by the Albright Art Gallery, very few of the show’s prints, in their original frames, have been located. 

The 1910 Buffalo exhibition was, as critic Sadakichi Hartmann wrote, ‘the most complete and comprehensive survey of pictorialism ever arranged in this country.’  Neither its scope nor its depth has likely been matched by any subsequent photographs exhibition.  Organized by Alfred Stieglitz, the International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography featured nearly 600 photographs.  During its 29-day run, it drew over 15,000 visitors, breaking all of the Gallery’s previous attendance records.   By the end of the exhibition, no fewer than 53 prints had been sold to the public, including the de Meyer offered here. 

With 25 entries, de Meyer was one of the best-represented photographers in the exhibition.  Writing in American Photography, F. Austin Lidbury hailed de Meyer’s ‘wonderful assortment of portraits and character studies . . . each carried out with an extraordinary mastery of tone, light, and texture.’  ‘Maria, A Study,’ is invested with dramatic elegance, the intensity of the model’s gaze heightened by the bravura quality of the print.  In its conception and execution, the photograph is quintessential Baron de Meyer, ‘stamped,’ as Lidbury wrote, ‘with an unmistakable individuality.’

Because de Meyer destroyed many of his prints and negatives, early examples of his work are scarce.  In a 1940 letter to Stieglitz, de Meyer despaired, ‘I have in 1935 destroyed all that was superfluous—it seemed to me a burden—all my photographic work especially’ (quoted in A Singular Elegance, p. 48).   ‘Maria, A Study,’ was saved from this fate by Mrs. Samuel Strong Spaulding of Buffalo, who purchased it directly from the 1910 Albright Art Gallery exhibition.  It remained in the same family for decades, passing from Mrs. S. S. Spaulding to her daughter, the Photo-Secessionist Charlotte Spaulding Albright, who in turn passed it to her son, Langdon Albright, Jr., who owned the picture until 1979.