The results from the photography sale at Swann last week were somewhat less than inspiring. Aside from two vintage Ruth Bernhard prints from the 1970s that unexpectedly jumped to big prices, there were few moments of excitement in this sale. The overall Buy-In rate hovered at roughly one-third, and with general softness at the mid and high price points, the Total Sale Proceeds missed the pre-sale estimate range by a decent margin.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 334 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $1747800 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $2557000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 223 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 111 |
| Buy In % | 33.23% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $1457990 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 280 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 95 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 85 |
| Low Buy In % | 30.36% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $1463000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $952540 |
| Mid Total Lots | 52 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 27 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 25 |
| Mid Buy In % | 48.08% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $959000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $448250 |
| Total High Lots | 2 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 1 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 1 |
| High Buy In % | 50.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $135000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $57200 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 205, Roy DeCarava, Portfolio entitled Roy DeCarava (12 photogravures), 1950-1979/1991, estimated at $50000-75000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at $57200.
87.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 9 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 14, Eadweard Muybridge, Woman carrying a bucket from Animal Locomotion, 1887, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $3750
Lot 48, Man Ray, The transvestite Barbette, 1926/1970s, estimated at $3000-4500, sold at $10000 (image above, middle, via Swann)
Lot 90, Carl Van Vechten, Group of 86 photographs, 1939, estimated at $1800-2200, sold at $6500
Lot 155, George Platt Lynes, Portrait of Yul Brenner, 1942, estimated at $1200-1800, sold at $6000 (image above, right, via Swann)
Lot 183, Ruth Orkin, American Girl in Italy, 1951/later, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $3750
Lot 246, Various, Mother Jones International Fund for Documentary Photography: Civil Rights Portfolio, 1942-1968, estimated at $3500-4500, sold at $10400
Lot 257, Ruth Bernhard, With Turban No. 1, 1971, estimated at $3000-4500, sold at $21250
Lot 265, Ruth Bernhard, Balancing, 1971/1970s, estimated at $3500-5500, sold at $23750 (image above, left, via Swann)
Lot 282, Helmut Newton, Number 11, estimated at $1500-2500, sold at $6500
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
