Ormond Gigli

oversized chromogenic print, mounted, signed, titled, dated, and editioned '13/20' in ink on the front and reverse of the mount, framed, 1960, printed later (Gigli, cover and p. 23)

Ormond Gigli, Girls in the Windows: And Other Stories, New York, 2013, cover and p. 23

This photograph is in generally excellent condition. This photograph is framed.
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.
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.

The photograph offered here – of 43 women in vibrant jewel-toned dresses punctuating a grid of vacant windows – is amongst the most memorable fashion photographs of the 20^th century.  It was taken on East 58^th Street, between 1^st and 2^nd Avenues, across the street from Gigli’s townhouse.  Upon realizing that these 19^th-century brownstones were slated for destruction, Gigli, whose work often appeared in Life, Time, Colliers, and many other publications, conceived of this image in part to memorialize the ever-changing and modernizing Manhattan landscape.

Calling upon models, friends, and even his own wife (pictured second floor, far right), Gigli’s shoot became an immortalized ‘happening’ of the day.  Gigli made this photograph at noon during the demolition crew’s lunch hour, and in his monograph, Ormond Gigli: Girls in The Windows and Other Stories, gives a vivid recount of the session: ‘The day before the buildings were razed, the 43 women appeared in their finest attire, went into the buildings, climbed the stairs, and took their places in the windows.  I was set up on my fire escape across the street, directing the scene, with bullhorn in hand.  Of course I was concerned for the models’ safety, as some were daring enough to pose out on the crumbling sills. . .The photography came off as planned.  What had seemed to some as too dangerous or difficult to accomplish, became my fantasy fulfilled, and my most memorable self-assigned photograph’ (p. 21).