Allen Ginsberg 1926-1997

on carte-postale, matted, framed, 1961

The Estate of Allen Ginsberg

Sotheby's New York, Allen Ginsberg and Friends, including Property from the Estates of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William S. Burroughs, 7 October 1999, Sale 7351, Lot 82

Acquired by Nancy Richardson from the above

This print is on stiff Gevaert carte-postale paper with a glossy finish that may be due to ferrotyping. Like most of Ginsberg's early snapshot images, this shows the light peripheral wear typical of a snapshot this age. Additionally, there are several small spots of warm-colored discoloration in the top border that intrude into the image slightly. A portion of the upper left quadrant of the image seems less glossy than the rest of the print, suggesting that the print may have been unevenly ferrotyped.
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 poet Allen Ginsberg was an avid photographer and, beginning in the early 1950s, took pictures that documented the poets, novelists, and artists connected to the Beat movement.  Later in life, Ginsberg revisited these snapshots, reprinted them in a large format, and annotated them copiously in black ink in the border.  It is primarily through these later prints that Ginsberg's photographic work is known today, and early prints, such as the photograph offered here, are rare.  This photograph, on Gevaert carte-postale stock, certainly represents the first printing of this negative and is very likely a unique print. 

Ginsberg first traveled to Tangier in 1957 to assist his friend, William S. Burroughs, in organizing the writings that would be published as Naked Lunch in 1959.  Ginsberg returned to Morocco again in 1961, on the first leg of a two-year trip that would take him to Greece, India, Cambodia, and Japan.  Pictured in the photograph offered here are: Burroughs, in black shirt and holding a camera; the novelist and composer Paul Bowles, in white, another expatriate resident of Tangier, whom Burroughs described as possessing a 'sinister darkness like underdeveloped film'; the poet Gregory Corso, by the palm tree; and Ian Sommerville and Michael Portman, who were then collaborating with Burroughs on a number of writing, recording, and film projects.