After the traditionally quiet auction month of January, Swann turns the collecting motor over for the first time in 2017 with its Icon and Images sale on Valentine’s Day. As has become the general template at Swann, the auction is divided into three sections – fine photographs, vernacular imagery, and Photobooks, with the last two expanding the collector base into adjacent areas. Led by a selection of Eadweard Muybridge’s 19th century stop motion collotypes, the sale sticks mostly to 20th century black and white work, digging deep into secondary images and later prints. As always, there is the sense that well priced finds can be uncovered here, for those willing to sift. Overall, there are a total of 322 lots available, with a Total High Estimate of $2049300.
Here’s the statistical breakdown:
| Preview Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including $10000) | 281 |
| Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of low lots) | $1277300 |
| Total Mid Lots (high estimate between $10000 and $50000) | 41 |
| Total Mid Estimate | 772000 |
| Total High Lots (high estimate above $50000) | 0 |
| Total High Estimate | $0 |
The top lot by High estimate is lot 13, Eadweard Muybridge, Selection of 50 plates from Animal Locomotion, 1887, estimated at $30000-45000. (image above, via Swann)
Here’s the complete list of photographers with five or more lots in the sale, along with the number of lots on offer:
| Multiple Lots For Sale | |
|---|---|
| Ansel Adams | 14 |
| Edward Curtis | 9 |
| Berenice Abbott | 8 |
| Richard Avedon | 6 |
| Lewis Hine | 6 |
| Aaron Siskind | 6 |
| Ruth Bernhard | 5 |
| Robert Frank | 5 |
| Eadweard Muybridge | 5 |
| Edward Weston | 5 |
Other lots of interest include (images above, via Swann):
Lot 11, Carleton Watkins, The Golden Gate from Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, 1868, estimated at $10000-15000
Lot 56, Lewis Hine, Empire State Building, 1930/1950s, estimated at $12000-18000
Lot 132, O. Winston Link, Just finished–not yet opened Kill van Kull arch bridge between Staten Island and New Jersey, 1931/1986, estimated at $3000-4000
Lot 144, Roy DeCarava, Dancers, 1956/1981, estimated at $15000-25000
Lot 285, (Space Exploration), Group of 22 large format from various NASA missions, 1965-1984/1985, estimated at $15000-25000
The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.
