- 75
Clarence John Laughlin
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 USD
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Description
- Clarence John Laughlin
- 'The Final Act (Belle Grove Plantation)'
- gelatin silver print
large-format, mounted, signed, titled, and dated in ink on the mount, annotated in ink and with the photographer's reproduction limitation stamp on the reverse, 1952 (The Personal Eye, p. 24; Clarence John Laughlin: Visionary Photographer, pl. 65)
Condition
This print, on semi-glossy paper, is in generally very good condition. Overall, this early print has a pleasingly warm tonality. There is a 2-1/2-inch linear disruption in the emulsion at the lower left corner. In raking light, faint, horizontal impressions are visible, possibly a result of the mounting process. A sliver of the negative edge is visible at the upper left corner.
The mount edges and corners are slightly worn and there are a few fingerprints. The reverse is annotated in ink 'M-16' and '7046.' There are also a few surface abrasions and a linen tape remnant at the upper left corner.
When examined under 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.
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.
Catalogue Note
This photograph of the Belle Grove plantation is part of a thematic study of 19th century plantation houses in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Abandoned in the 1920s, Belle Grove plantation was also a haunting subject for Frances Benjamin Johnston and Walker Evans. Laughlin photographed it several times, titling his images Tragic Queen (1939), Grandeur and Ruin (1948), and The Final Act (1952). A fire destroyed the house on 15 March 1952, and Laughlin made the present photograph the following day. In 1953, Laughlin wrote of these last images to A. Hyatt Mayor, curator of prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: ‘I made some of the most beautiful, and tragic, pictures I have ever made of any of the Louisiana plantations.’