The results of the recent Photographs & Photobooks sale at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury in London are evidence of slow but steady improvement in the strength of this department. There was softness across the board, with an Overall Buy-In rate north of 40%, keeping the Total Sale Proceeds below the pre sale estimate range. But the material on offer here continues to incrementally improve, and the aggregate proceeds numbers from sale to sale are creeping upward.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 243 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £344400 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £488650 |
| Total Lots Sold | 134 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 109 |
| Buy In % | 42.80% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £277491 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 225 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 129 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 96 |
| Low Buy In % | 42.67% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £354650 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £199867 |
| Mid Total Lots | 18 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 10 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 8 |
| Mid Buy In % | 44.44% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £134000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £77624 |
| 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 | NA |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 167, Helmut Newton, Roselyne, Chateau d’Arcangues (Salon), 1975, estimated at £12000-15000; it was also the top outcome at £17360.
87.77% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 8 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 16, Frank Mason Good, Holy Land, 1870s, estimated at £1000-1500, sold at £3968
Lot 98, Bert Hardy, Untitled, Teachers, 1956, estimated at £600-800, sold at £1984 (image above, left, via Dreweatts & Bloomsbury)
Lot 122, Bruce Weber, Bruno and Talsa, My Chriscraft, Bellport, 1982, estimated at £1500-2000, sold at £8060 (image above, middle, via Dreweatts & Bloomsbury)
Lot 139, Luigi Ghirri, Arles, 1978, estimated at £1000-1500, sold at £3472
Lot 187, Michael Dweck, Sonya, Poles, Montauk, NY, 2002/2007, estimated at £1500-2000, sold at £5208 (image above, right, via Dreweatts & Bloomsbury)
Lot 192, Hamish Fulton, Circular Walks, Slaybrook, Kent, 1972-1975, estimated at £500-700, sold at £2108
Lot 192A, Slim Aarons, Poolside Gossip, 1970, estimated at £1000-1500, sold at £6820
Lot 223, David Goldblatt and Nadine Gordimer, On the Mines, 1973, estimated at £400-600, sold at £1240
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
