Margaret Bourke-White

large-format, warm-toned, '26' (circled) in pencil on the reverse, framed, 1933, possibly printed in the 1940s

Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York, 1992

'Port of New York Authority,' Fortune, September 1933, Vol. 8, No. 3, p. 29

Sean Callahan, The Photographs of Margaret Bourke-White (Greenwich, 1972), p. 43

Stephen Bennett Phillips, The Photography of Design 1927-1936: Margaret Bourke-White (Washington, D. C.: The Phillips Collection, 2003), p. 125

Constance Sullivan, ed., Women Photographers (New York, 1990), pl. 56

This warm-toned and impressively-sized early print on double weight paper with a matte surface, is in generally excellent condition. The margin edges are rubbed, and there is a small sharp crease in the upper left margin that intrudes into the print very slightly. It is not immediately evident. In raking light, slight silvering is visible in the darkest areas of the print. On the reverse of the print near the center, '26' is written in pencil. There are several small cloth tape remnants on the reverse at the top edge, from prior hinging. The reverse of the photograph is lightly soiled, and there are intermittent rust-colored deposits, likely from adhesive used to mount the print. When examined with ultraviolet light, this print does not appear to fluoresce.
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 bridge was under construction then and breathtakingly beautiful, with no floor yet built but with gossamerlike cables gracefully strung from bank to bank.  I had been waiting for just this phase of the construction, and . . . it came in midwinter on a zero day . . . I spent the morning perched high over the ice-flecked Hudson River on the mighty cables . . .''

Margaret Bourke-White, 1963