Robert Frank

oversized, signed, titled, and dated '1955' in ink in the margin, numerical notations in pencil on the reverse, framed, Bloom Collection and Pace Wildenstein MacGill labels on the reverse, 1955, probably printed circa 1970

Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York, 1998

The Americans, no. 44

Sarah Greenough, Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans, pp. v, 263, 467, 473, and 479, and Contact no. 44

Aaron Siskind and Jonathan Logan, eds., Choice: A Magazine of Poetry and Photography, 1962, cover

LIFE Library of Photography: Documentary Photography, p. 173

Tod Papageorge, Walker Evans and Robert Frank: An Essay on Influence, p. 19

Robert Frank, The Lines of My Hand (Pantheon), unpaginated

Sarah Greenough and Philip Brookman, Robert Frank: Moving Out, p. 191

Robert Frank: Story Lines, frontispiece 1

Martin Parr and Gerry Badger, The Photobook: A History, Volume I, p. 247

Michael Shelden, 'Melancholy and Menace,' Telegraph Magazine, 3 May 2008, p. 34

Holland Cotter, 'America, Captured in a Flash,' The New York Times, 24 September 2009, C29

Peter Galassi, Robert Frank: In America, p. 58

This impressively-sized print that shows the full negative, is on heavy double-weight paper with a semi-glossy surface. It is in generally excellent condition. A small deposit of original retouching in the elevator door area and very faint creases in the right margin corners are visible in raking light. The following notations are written in pencil on the reverse: 'R.F.A. 044.11' 'LOMH 59' '4402-I (L)' 'R' '5 [circled]' This photograph has undergone conservation, and a treatment report is available upon request from the department.
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.

‘Miami Beach Hotel’ (Elevator) is one of the scarcest photographs from The Americans.  As of this writing, it is believed that no other print of this image has appeared at auction.  The Bloom Collection print is further distinguished by its impressive size, and by the fact that it shows a greater expanse of the negative than published versions.  The image made an impression upon Jack Kerouac, who concludes his introduction to The Americans as follows:  ‘And I say: That little ole lonely elevator girl looking up sighing in an elevator full of blurred demons, what’s her name & address?’