Diane Arbus

signed and numbered '3781-11-1U-1114' by the photographer's daughter, Doon Arbus, in ink and with the 'A Diane Arbus print, Doon Arbus administrator' stamp and Doon Arbus's copyright and limitation stamps on the reverse, matted, 1964

Estate of Diane Arbus

Lunn Gallery, Washington, D. C.

Private Collection, New York

Acquired by Edwynn Houk Gallery, Chicago, from the above, 1988

Acquired by the Quillan Company from the above, 1989

Jill Quasha, The Quillan Collection of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Photographs (New York, 1991), pl. 65 (this print)

Other prints of this image:

Diane Arbus (Aperture, 1972, in conjunction with the exhibition originating at The Museum of Modern Art, New York), unpaginated

Diane Arbus: Revelations, (New York, 2003, in conjunction with the exhibition originating at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art), pp. 296-7

This life-time print is on double-weight paper with a glossy surface. It is in excellent condition.
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.

Diane Arbus was drawn to children throughout her career, and her interactions with them yielded some of her most memorable images, including 'Twins, Roselle, New Jersey,' 'Child with a Toy Hand Grenade,' 'Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champions,' as well as the photograph offered here.  Present in the adult world but not active participants, children shared the outsider status that Arbus preferred in her subjects, and she photographed them without condescension.  In Flower Girl at a Wedding, the relationship between the photographer and her subject is an open and honest one: the photographer does not spare her subject, and the subject makes no concession to the photographer.    

As of this writing, only three lifetime prints of this image have been located, all in this size format.  Aside from the photograph offered here, there is a print in the private collection of Jeffrey Fraenkel, San Francisco, and another sold by the Robert Miller Gallery, New York (present location unknown).