Alfred Stieglitz

large-format photogravure on tissue, signed, titled, and dated by the photographer in pencil in the margin, mounted, signed, titled, dated, annotated 'Original Photogravure – (very rare),' and inscribed 'For D. S. N. Dec. 24/42' in ink on the reverse, 1910; accompanied by a frame backboard with annotations in pencil and ink and a label with typed 'Plate 22. City of Ambition - 1910 / Keep Clean, Handle with Care and Return to Dorothy Norman 124 E. 70 St., NYC 21' (2)

The photographer to Dorothy Norman, 1942

By descent

Acquired from the above

Greenough 342

Dorothy Norman, Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer (New York, 1973), pl. XXIV

This rare, large-format photogravure on tissue is in generally excellent condition. As is visible in the catalogue illustration, Stieglitz signed, titled, and dated this photograph 'The City of Ambitions - 1910' in pencil in the lower margin. This photogravure is on a large mount, and excess dry-mounting tissue is visible at the margin edges. The mount is age-appropriately darkened at the periphery and is soiled unevenly from handling. There are two faint tidelines along the lower edge of the mount, not affecting the photograph. The corners of the mount are rounded and there are small losses to the edges of the mount, including a one-inch loss to the upper right corner, which do not affect the photograph in any way. On the reverse, Stieglitz's signature, inscription, and dating in ink remain quite robust. There are also numerical notations in pencil on the reverse. The accompanying brittle frame backboard is in fair condition. Annotations on the reverse of the backboard include: 'AA'; ''64' (circled and crossed out); and 'City of Ambition - 1910 Photogravure by Alfred Stieglitz'; '#5578.' A manuscript label on the reverse of the backboard transcribes Stieglitz's annotation that appears on the reverse of the mount.
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 photographs in Lots 53-56 come originally from the collection of writer, photographer, and activist, Dorothy Norman.  A stalwart supporter of Stieglitz, Norman was instrumental in fundraising for his final gallery, An American Place, which opened in 1929.  Norman edited America and Alfred Stieglitz (1934) and wrote Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer (1974), a chronicle of her years with the photographer. 

Norman first met Stieglitz in 1927 at his The Intimate Gallery on Park Avenue.  Stieglitz’s effect on the young Norman was immediate.  ‘I listen to Stieglitz, read about him, watch him function, look at his photographs, talk with him, and begin to fathom that he represents an approach to life I have been seeking the world around me but had not found. . .In his own prints he creates images that arouse me deeply, churning up depths that, even while they astonish, I know have only been waiting to be lifted into new awareness’ (Norman, Encounters – A Memoir, p. 60).  Despite a more than 40 year age difference and their marriages (he to Georgia O’Keeffe, she to Edward Norman), the two had an enduring and emotional relationship.  As both lover and mentor, Stieglitz encouraged Norman to pursue photography and writing.  Several of Norman’s most successful photographs are quiet tableau taken at An American Place.  

By means of purchase and gift, Norman acquired a significant collection of Stieglitz photographs, many of which she showcased on the walls of her East 70^th Street International Style townhome (cf. House & Garden, October 1944, pp. 79-81).  The present photograph is annotated by Stieglitz ‘Original Photogravure – (very rare)’ and personally inscribed to Norman. 

Sarah Greenough, in Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set, locates 9 large-format photogravures of this image, all in institutional collections.  At the time of this writing, only two large-format photogravures of this image are believed to have been offered at auction, both of which were unsigned: a print originally in the collection of artist Katharine Rhoades in 2012; and one from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art sold in these rooms in April 2001.