Diane Arbus

signed and inscribed in ink in the margin, 1963, printed no later than 1967

The photographer to the present owner, circa 1967

Diane Arbus: Revelations (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 2003), pp. 40 and 184

Diane Arbus (Aperture, 1972), unpaginated

Photography/Venice '79 (New York, 1979), p. 337

Manfred Heiting, et al., At the Still Point: Photographs from the Manfred Heiting Collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Volume II, Part 1 (Los Angeles and Amsterdam, 2009), p. 349

LIFE Library of Photography: Documentary Photography (New York, 1972), p. 209

This impressive lifetime print, with its rich tonality and dark negative edges at the top and bottom of the image, is on Agfa paper with a semi-glossy surface. It is in very good condition. The signature and inscription are diminutive but bold. As is typical of Arbus's prints, there is very slight waviness at the margin edges. In raking light, the following are visible: 2 small, thin, sharp creases at the right side of the print that do not appear to break the emulsion, small white matte deposits of indeterminate nature in the upper margin corners, and a tiny spot of original retouching, In the lower margin, near the edge of the paper, there are notations, likely made by a framer, in blue ballpoint ink. On the reverse of the print are tiny speckled deposits, which are often characteristics of prints made by Arbus, and are likely from processing.
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.

As early as 1961 Diane Arbus made notes about a possible project to photograph winners of all sorts—‘the utmost, the winners, the most, the first, rituals, contests, fame, immortality, Secret Rites’—followed by a listing of events she considered worthy of investigation.  In her 1962 notebooks, Arbus jotted further thoughts, and by September of that year, these became the basis of her 1963 Guggenheim project proposal, American Rites, Manners and Customs. 

The photograph offered here – signed and personally inscribed by Arbus – was given to an employee of Paraphernalia in 1967.  Paraphernalia, the trend-setting boutique on Madison Avenue at 67th Street, was opened in late 1965 by British entrepreneur Paul Young and clothing manufacturer Carl Rosen.  Sleekly and minimally designed by Ulrich Franzen, Paraphernalia was more club than dress shop, with its blasting music, video displays, and stage for dancers. Of the boutique, Andy Warhol wrote, ‘Paraphernalia sometimes stayed open till two in the morning.  You’d go in and try on things and ‘Get Off My Cloud’ would be playing—and you’d be buying the clothes in the same atmosphere you’d probably be wearing them in.  And the sales people in the little boutiques were always so hip and relaxed, as if the stores were just another room in their apartment—they’d sit around, read magazines, watch TV, smoke dope’ (Popism: The Warhol Sixties, p. 116). It was a necessary destination for the hip, fashion-conscious, and those wanting to be part of the scene.  Warhol and Susan Bottomly – also known as International Velvet – met ingénue model and artist David Croland (Lots 215-221) at a Paraphernalia event, where David was selling his custom Pop earrings.

Lifetime prints of the image, signed by Arbus, are rare.  It is believed that only two other signed examples have appeared at auction, sold in these rooms in December 2014 and October 1990.