Images of children are the dominant theme at Heritage’s gargantuan nearly 700 lot photography sale later this week in New York. Combining live and Internet auctions, the sale is made up of almost entirely low priced material, with no lots at all in the highest price tier. With so much material on offer, and much of it later prints and secondary imagery, there is little chance that there will be enough consistent buyer interest to keep the bidding aggressively competitive – so patient sifters of this massive pile stand a good chance of being rewarded with bargain opportunities and thin bidding. Overall, there are a total of 674 lots available in the sale, with a Total High Estimate of $2326100.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 645 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $1737100 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 29 |
| Total Mid Estimate | $589000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 0 |
| Total High Estimate | $0 |
The top lot by High estimate is lot 73018, Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941/1970s, estimated at $30000-50000 (image above, via Heritage).
Here’s the complete list of photographers with eight or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Alfred Eisenstaedt | 17 |
| Ansel Adams | 15 |
| Lewis Hine | 15 |
| Edward Weston | 13 |
| Helen Levitt | 11 |
| Roger Mayne | 10 |
| O. Winston Link | 9 |
| Stephen Shore | 9 |
| Berenice Abbott | 8 |
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Heritage):
Lot 73102, Helen Levitt, Children with a Broken Mirror, NYC, c1940, estimated at $15000-25000
Lot 73153, Lewis Carroll, Xie Kitchen, Badcock Yard Studio, 1869, estimated at $7000-10000
Lot 73181, Sally Mann, Vinland, 1992, estimated at $12000-18000
Lot 73211, Helmut Newton, David Bowie, Monte Carlo, 1983/1984, estimated at $20000-30000
Lot 73346, Nan Goldin, Nan and Brian on Bed, NYC, 1983, estimated at $25000-35000
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
