Frederick Sommer 1905-1999

mounted, signed, titled, and dated by the photographer in pencil on the reverse, 1950

Gift of the photographer to a friend and student, Chicago

By descent to a private collection

Christie's New York, 13 October 2000, Sale 9484, Lot 401

Acquired by the present owners from the above

Other prints of this image:

Leland Rice, Constance Glenn, and Jane K. Bledsoe, Frederick Sommer at Seventy-Five: A Retrospective (California State University, Long Beach, 1980, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 14

John Weiss, ed., Venus, Jupiter & Mars: The Photographs of Frederick Sommer (Wilmington: Delaware Art Museum, 1980, in conjunction with the exhibition), fig. 39

Van Deren Coke: Scholar as Collector (Albuquerque, 2001), p. 65

Catalog of the UCLA Collection of Contemporary Photographs (Frederick S. Wright Art Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, 1976), pl. 158

Bulletin, The University of New Mexico, University Art Museum, Number 5-6, 1971-72, cover

Frederick Sommer, All Children Are Ambassadors (Munich, 1992), p. 30, variant cropping

Keith F. Davis, The Art of Frederick Sommer: Photography, Drawing, Collage (Prescott and New Haven, 2005), p. 62, variant cropping

This luminous early print, on paper with a surface sheen, is in generally excellent condition. As is typically seen in early Sommer photographs, this print is mounted on thin, cream-colored board with a slight surface texture. When examined in raking light, a tiny (less than 1/8-inch), slightly raised circular area is visible. This likely occurred during mounting. The mount exhibits very slight, age-appropriate darkening at the periphery and on the reverse.
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.

As of this writing, the Frederick Sommer Foundation records no more than 5 early prints of this image.