Eugène Atget

albumen print, titled and numbered '4843' and with annotations in pencil on the reverse, framed, 1903-04 (Atget Paris, p. 475)

Collection of Berenice Abbott / Julien Levy

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

Grading this matte-surface albumen print on a scale of 1 to 10 -- a 10 being a print with rich dark brown tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail -- this print rates a strong 7. While there does not appear to be any degradation of detail and the darks remain robust throughout the image, the highlights and the upper and lower edges of the print are slightly warm-toned. This photograph is in generally very good to excellent condition. As is customary, the print is trimmed unevenly to the image and a portion of the negative is visible at the left and right edges. Upon close examination, several creases are visible, mostly originating from the left edge, and there are impressions that do not appear to break the emulsion along the edges of the image. The following is written in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse: 'MOMA dupe [illegible] 2002.'
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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.

Although the reverse of this print is titled by the photographer ‘Le Cherche Midi,’ the image actually shows the doorway of the hôtel des Conseils de guerre, which was across the street from the Cherche Midi prison.