Auction Results: Fine Photographs: Celebrating 70 Years of Photographs at Swann, February 10, 2022 @Swann

Just a few more positive outcomes would have pulled the overall results of the recent 70th anniversary sale at Swann up into the aggregate estimate range and given the celebratory sale a bit more pizazz. But as it was, the top lot Sally Mann portraits failed to sell, and with less positive surprises than usual and an overall Buy-In rate over 27%, the Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly $930K) came in just below the low end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Summary Statistics
Total Lots 250
Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate $1005600
Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate $1491750
Total Lots Sold 182
Total Lots Bought In 68
Buy In % 27.20%
Total Sale Proceeds $932931

Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High price range definitions):

Detailed Breakdown
Low Total Lots 228
Total Low Lots Sold 169
Total Low Lots Bought In 59
Low Buy In % 25.88%
Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots $1015750
Total Proceeds from Low Lots $703206
Mid Total Lots 22
Total Mid Lots Sold 13
Total Mid Lots Bought In 9
Mid Buy In % 40.91%
Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots $476000
Total Proceeds from Mid Lots $229725
Total High Lots 0
Total High Lots Sold NA
Total High Lots Bought In NA
High Buy In % NA
Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots $0
Total Proceeds from High Lots $0

The top lot by High estimate was lot 250, Sally Mann, Untitled (self-portraits), 2011, estimated at $30000-45000; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 146 Lisette Model, Twelve Photographs (portfolio), 1937-1946/1977, estimated at $12000-18000, sold at $32500 (image above, via Swann).

80.22% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 7 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above via Swann):

Lot 11, John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall, Portrait of Karl Marx, c1875/c1910, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $12500

Lot 14, Williamson Brothers, Group of 5 daguerreotypes, 1856-1859, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $4500

Lot 18, Thomas H. Johnson, A set of 5 Delaware & Hudson Canal Views, 1860-1871, estimated at $5000-7500, sold at $21250

Lot 78, Consuelo Kanaga, Portrait of Berenice Abbott (with camera), 1935/1960s, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $8125

Lot 94, Gordon Parks, American Gothic, Washington D.C., 1942/1990s, estimated at $5000-7500, sold at $18750

Lot 110, (China-Shanghai), Album of over 500 photographs, 1928-1937, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $6000

Lot 148, NASA, Group of 23 photographs, 1969, 1971-72, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $11875

The complete lot by lot results can be found here.

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Read more about: Lisette Model, Swann Auction Galleries

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