Selection of images part 1

April 2015

 

Berenice Abbott (American, 1898-1991) 'Fifth Avenue Houses' 1936

 

Berenice Abbott (American, 1898-1991)
Fifth Avenue Houses (5th Avenue and 8th Street)
1936, printed later
Silver gelatin print

 

 

A selection of interesting images.

The Vanishing Race by Edward S. Curtis is simple, yet one of the best. Already their shadows seem more substantial than their owners.

Any photographer worth their salt would recognise the light on the foliage in a certain location that they know, but the chance of it being as perfect as this are about a billion to one. Notice how the original frame extends the synthesis of man and landscape as well. Such a great amalgam of image and frame, such a perfect marriage where one complements the other without the frame being overpowering, as though the frame were an extension of the image (and organic nature of the landscape).

The line of the riders in the image as well… they would have virtually ridden over the photographer and the tripod if they had kept that line! And the outrider – magnificent!!

Marcus


Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

 

 

Edward S. Curtis (American, 1868-1952) 'The Vanishing Race' 1904

 

Edward S. Curtis (American, 1868-1952)
The Vanishing Race – Navaho
1904
Orotone (in original frame)

 

“The passing of every old man or woman means the passing of some tradition, some knowledge of sacred rites possessed by no other… consequently the information that is to be gathered, for the benefit of future generations, respecting the mode of life of one of the great races of mankind, must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost for all time.”

~ Edward S. Curtis

 

Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984) 'Surf Sequence #4' 1940

 

Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984)
Surf Sequence #4
1940, printed later
Silver gelatin print

 

Paul Caponigro (American, b. 1932) 'Redding Stream, Redding, Connecticut' 1968

 

Paul Caponigro (American, b. 1932)
Redding Stream, Redding, Connecticut
1968, printed later
Gelatin silver print

 

Paul Caponigro (American, b. 1932) 'Nautilus Shell, Ipswich, Mass' 1960

 

Paul Caponigro (American, b. 1932)
Nautilus Shell, Ipswich, Mass
1960
Silver gelatin print

 

Paul Caponigro (American, b. 1932) 'Two Leaves, Brewster, New York' 1963

 

Paul Caponigro (American, b. 1932)
Two Leaves, Brewster, New York
1963
Silver gelatin print

 

Harry Callahan (American, 1912-1999) 'Eleanor, Port Huron' c. 1954

 

Harry Callahan (American, 1912-1999)
Eleanor, Port Huron
c. 1954
Silver gelatin print

 

With her raven hair and ripe figure, Eleanor Callahan is one of the most recognisable models in the history of 20th-century photography, an inseparable part of both the life and work of one of its most renowned artists. Clothed and standing among trees in a public park, or nude and turned to the wall while clutching a radiator in an empty room, she served as a formal element within Mr. Callahan’s austere compositions as well as a symbol of womanhood. From 1941 to his death in 1999, she allowed herself to be photographed by him, without complaint, hundreds of times…

“He just liked to take the pictures of me,” she told an interviewer in 2008. “In every pose. Rain or shine. And whatever I was doing. If I was doing the dishes or if I was half asleep. And he knew that I never, never said no. I was always there for him. Because I knew that Harry would only do the right thing.”

Text from Richard B. Woodward. “Eleanor Callahan, Photographic Muse, Dies at 95,” on the New York Times website 28th February 2012.

 

Dorothea Lange (American, 1895-1965) 'Potato truck in the field near Shafter, California' 1937

 

Dorothea Lange (American, 1895-1965)
Potato truck in the field near Shafter, California
1937
Ferrotyped silver print

 

Walker Evans (American, 1903-1975) 'Fish Market near Birmingham, Alabama' 1936

 

Walker Evans (American, 1903-1975)
Fish Market near Birmingham, Alabama
1936
Silver gelatin print

 

Robert Doisneau (French, 1912-1994) 'Le gardien des géants du Nord' Nd

 

Robert Doisneau (French, 1912-1994)
Le gardien des géants du Nord
Nd
Silver gelatin print

 

Berenice Abbott (American, 1898-1991) 'Christopher Street Shop' late 1940s

 

Berenice Abbott (American, 1898-1991)
Christopher Street Shop
late 1940s
Silver gelatin print

 

Francesca Woodman (American, 1958-1981) 'But Lately I Find a Sliver of a Mirror is Simply to Slice an Eyelid' 1979/1980

 

Francesca Woodman (American, 1958-1981)
But Lately I Find a Sliver of a Mirror is Simply to Slice an Eyelid
1979-1980
Silver gelatin print

 

Francesca Woodman (American, 1958-1981) 'Untitled, Rome, Italy' 1977/1978

 

Francesca Woodman (American, 1958-1981)
Untitled, Rome, Italy
1977-1978
Silver gelatin print

 

André Kertész (Hungarian, 1894-1985) 'Fan, December 1937' 1937

 

André Kertész (Hungarian, 1894-1985)
Fan, December 1937
1937
Silver gelatin print

 

“I am an amateur and I intend to stay that way for the rest of my life.”

~ André Kertész

 

Margaret Bourke-White (American, 1904-1971) 'Fort Peck Dam, Montana' 1936

 

Margaret Bourke-White (American, 1904-1971)
Fort Peck Dam, Montana
1936
Silver gelatin print

 

This photograph became an icon of the machine age, not only because it was printed as the cover of the first issue of Life magazine (November 23, 1936), but also because it showed the power of modern technology to dwarf humankind. The giant buttresses and what seem to be crenellated battlements (actually the supports for an elevated highway) are meant to be as raw and impressive as the towering walls of ancient monuments. The engineers on the spillway provide the necessary indication of scale.

 

Margaret Bourke-White (American, 1904-1971) 'Terminal Tower [Cleveland]' c. 1928

 

Margaret Bourke-White (American, 1904-1971)
Terminal Tower [Cleveland]
c. 1928
Silver gelatin print

 

“I stood on the deck to watch the city [Cleveland] come into view. As the skyline took form in the morning mist, I felt I was coming to my promised land … columns of machinery gaining height as we drew toward the pier, derricks swinging like living creatures. Deep inside I knew these were my subjects.”

~ Margaret Bourke-White 1927

 

François Kollar (Hungarian, 1904-1979) 'Double-impression of the Eiffel Tower' 1931

 

François Kollar (Hungarian, 1904-1979)
Double-impression of the Eiffel Tower
1931
Solarised silver gelatin print

 

In this unique and widely-reproduced photograph, the French modernist photographer has overlaid positive and negative images of the magnificent Eiffel Tower. The iconic structure is depicted from an unusual perspective, thrusting upward, with Kollar’s special solarised effect.

 

Edward J. Kelty (American, 1888-1967) 'X-ray of Ajax, the sword swallower' 1928

 

Edward J. Kelty (American, 1888-1967)
X-ray of Ajax, the sword swallower
1928
 Silver print
18 × 11 inches (45.7 × 27.9cm)
With a New York X-ray lab credit in the negative

 

Edward J. Kelty (American, 1888-1967) 'Marcellus Golden Models' 1933

 

Edward J. Kelty (American, 1888-1967)
Marcellus Golden Models
1933
Silver print
11 1/4 × 8 7/8 inches (28.6 × 22.5cm)
With Kelty’s credit and title in the negative

 

 

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