Karl Blossfeldt

credited, titled, numbered '30 R. A.,' and inscribed 'Frucht einer Loasazee/8 x vergrössert' (Fruit of a Loasaceae/8 x magnified) in unidentified hands in pencil and numbered '133' in an unidentified hand in red crayon on the reverse, 1920s

Sotheby's London, Important Avant-Garde Photographs of the 1920s & 1930s, 2 May 1997, Sale 7267, Lot 11

Jane Corkin Gallery, Toronto

Private Collection, New York

Other prints of this image:

Rolf Sachsse, Karl Blossfeldt Photographs (Köln, 1994), unpaginated

Hans Christian Adam, Karl Blossfeldt, 1865 - 1932 (Köln, 1999), p. 309

This early print is on a light- to medium-weight paper with a matte surface and is in essentially excellent condition. There is minor wear and very slight age-darkening at the edges of the print, and the corners are slightly bumped. When examined with the aid of magnification, original graphite retouching by the photographer is visible on the surface of the print, particularly at the periphery of the plant. There is light soiling on the reverse, upon which '3079 R. A.' and 'Prof. Blossfeldt' are written in pencil, in addition to the title. '133' is written in red pencil.
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 shows the seed pod of Blumenbachia hieronymi, a vigorous annual with white flowers and spiky stems and leaves.  In this image, Blossfeldt has magnified the pod in order to show its intricately detailed structure.   

Blossfeldt first conceived of making magnified photographs of natural forms as a student at the Royal School of the Museum of Decoration in Berlin.  After being criticized by a professor for the inaccuracy of his design of a dragonfly's wing, Blossfeldt was inspired to take an enlarged photograph of the insect to justify his rendering.  Through this experience, Blossfeldt realized that magnified photographs of natural forms could be of use to students of art and design.

Blossfeldt was encouraged in this work by Professor Moritz Meurer.  Meurer, who believed that natural forms had influenced art, design, and architecture throughout history, was charged in 1890 with creating a new methodology for teaching drawing at design schools in Germany.  Under Meurer's direction, his small team of students gathered botanical specimens, made sketches and models, and photographed sections of plants.  Blossfeldt excelled at this last task, and continued to work with Maurer until 1897.  From 1898 until his death in 1932, Blossfeldt devoted himself to teaching macro-photography of plant forms to students at the Charlottenburg School of Arts and Crafts.  In 1928, a collection of 120 photogravure plates of his plant photographs was published in Urformen der Kunst.  Wundergarten der Natur and numerous other books followed.

Blossfeldt's inspired and extensive photographs of the stems, buds, leaves, and flowers of plants, enlarged many times, were initially intended as a tool for students.  In 1929, Moholy-Nagy included Blossfeldt's work in Room One of the important 'Film und Foto' exhibition in Stuttgart as examples of a new, objective vision in photography, thus putting his work in a new context.