Charles Sheeler

mounted, signed by the photographer in pencil on the mount, a Museum of Modern Art edition label affixed to the reverse, matted, 1915, printed circa 1941, one of a proposed edition of 10

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Sotheby's New York, Photographs from The Museum of Modern Art, 23 April 1994, Sale 6552, Lot 222

Acquired by the present owner from the above

Other prints of this image:

Three Painters of America: Charles Demuth, Charles Sheeler, and Edward Hopper (The Museum of Modern Art, 1933, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 112

Karen Lucic, Charles Sheeler in Doylestown: American Modernism and the Pennsylvania Tradition (Allentown Art Museum, 1997, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 25

Carol E. Roark, Paula Ann Stewart, and Mary Kennedy McCabe, Catalogue of the Amon Carter Museum Photography Collection (Fort Worth, 1993), pl. 4191

This print, on paper with a surface sheen and mounted to heavy board with a cream-colored front and gray back, is in generally excellent condition. There are three minute chips at the edges that are barely noticeable except under close examination. When examined in raking light, tiny deposits of original retouching are visible on the print.
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 Charles Sheeler photograph offered here was printed around 1941, in conjunction with The Museum of Modern Art's American Photographs at $10 exhibition and sale program.  According to the press release, the exhibition was 'an experiment to encourage the collecting of photographs for decoration and pleasure.'  Nine photographers, including Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, Helen Levitt, László Moholy-Nagy, Arnold Newman, Charles Sheeler, Edward Weston, and Brett Weston, were asked to exhibit one photograph each.  Each photographer's image was made available in an edition of 10 prints, to be sold to the public for $10 each.  According to Peter Galassi, Chief Curator of the Museum's Department of Photography, 'only fourteen of the ninety prints were sold, including three to the Museum and two to [Museum supporter] David McAlpin' (American Photography 1890 - 1965 from The Museum of Modern Art, p. 38).