Auction Preview: Photographs, October 5, 2017 @Sotheby’s

The upcoming various owner Photographs sale at Sotheby’s in New York starts somewhere unusual – with a run of more than 50 daguerreotypes (from the collection of Dr. Stanley B. Burns). Once those lots have run their course, the sale returns to more predictable patterns, with two Robert Frank prints at the top of the offerings. A rare 1843 image of John Quincy Adams should tempt historical photography buffs, while important works by Edward Weston, Diane Arbus, and Dorothea Lange round out the highlights. Overall, there are a total of 200 lots available in the sale, with a Total High Estimate of $5542000.

Here’s the statistical breakdown:

Preview Statistics
Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) 87
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) $666000
Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) 96
Total Mid Estimate $2336000
Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) 17
Total High Estimate $2540000

The top lot by High estimate is lot 189, Robert Frank, Charleston, S.C., 1955/1967-1968, estimated at $300000-500000 (image above, via Sotheby’s).

Here’s the complete list of photographers with four or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:

Multiple Lots For Sale
Ansel Adams 11
Robert Mapplethorpe 10
Eugène Atget 9
Harry Callahan 7
Frederick Sommer 7
Edward Weston 6
William Eggleston 6
Henri Cartier-Bresson 4
Robert Frank 4
Walker Evans 4

Other lots of interest include (images above, via Sotheby’s):

Lot 120, Edward Weston, Nude on Sand, 1936, estimated at $200000-300000

Lot 147, Philip Haas, John Quincy Adams, 1843, estimated at $150000-250000

Lot 154, Dorothea Lange, White Angel Breadline (San Francisco), 1933/late 1940s or early 1950s, estimated at $70000-90000

Lot 195, Robert Frank, New Orleans (Trolley), 1955/late 1960s or early 1970s, estimated at $200000-300000

Lot 199, Diane Arbus, National Junior Interstate Dance Champions of 1963, Yonkers, NY, 1963/no later than 1967, estimated at $150000-250000

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

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Read more about: Diane Arbus, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston, Robert Frank, Sotheby's

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