auction (8)

12229288675?profile=RESIZE_400xThe Franklin expedition portraits reported on here several weeks ago have sold for £350,000 (£444,500 including premium, exceeding the upper estimate. There's no news regarding the buyer and the lot will be subject to an export licence should the purchaser choose to export it. 

Details of the lot and illustrations are here: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/travel-atlas-maps-photographs/studio-of-richard-beard-a-set-of-14-daguerreotypes

12229288463?profile=RESIZE_710x

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12201041882?profile=originalOfferings include an extremely rare solograph with includes a wonderful advertisement for Ezekiel Hawkins establishment.  Daguerreotype highlights include a killer guitar player, a spectacular close-up, a large frame with ten family images, half-plates, a Whitehurst stereo and a lovely postmortem.  Other hard images included a farmer with his prized steer, outdoor, a great half-plate military piece, a hotel and a rare identified Civil War panotype.  Cdv’s and cabinet cards include a  military photographer with camera, photographer advertisement, studio’s, an extremely rare still life of a photo retouching device, an image with Palmer Cox’s Brownies on the border, kids with dogs, occupational including a cool jockey, typesetters, bookies, and a disabled African American woman.  Other paper is highlighted by a camera supply booth.  

Of particular note for BPH readers is lot 28 (illustrated right and in large res on the website) which is described: 'Extremely rare and exciting sixth-plate English ambrotype of a man giving a speech in Regent’s Park Haymarket which is known as the Cumberland Market area today.  This is possibly one the earliest known photographs of this area...

Closing 10PM EST, Wednesday, September 28, 2016

http://www.capitolgallery.com/CapitolGallery/catalogmain.htm

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12201019462?profile=originalDominic Winter's autumn Photography auction comprises 147 lots from 1850s onwards. Highlight of the sale is anticipated to be a series of 76 ballooning magic lantern slides that include 27 aerial photographic views of London (and one of the Eiffel Tower) by balloonist-aerial photographer pioneer Cecil Victor Shadbolt (1859-1892).

Among the aerial photographs is the earliest known surviving aerial photograph of Great Britain, a photograph of Stamford Hill taken by Shadbolt on 29 May 1882 (shown here). All the other photographs date from between then and Shadbolt's untimely death in a ballooning accident in 1892. A handful are captioned and signed by Shadbolt and the whole collection was clearly used as part of a magic lantern lecture series that Shadbolt used to give called Balloons and Ballooning. That colour slide with the unfortunate motto 'Upward and Onwards' is numbered 1 and clearly the start of the lecture. One of the other uncaptioned photographs shows the building of Crystal Palace and is surprisingly the oldest known surviving photograph of the building. Most of the photographs show amazing clarity but this photograph is a little more blurry due no doubt to the greater camera shake from flying in a tethered rather than free floating balloon. Other views include Blackheath, Catford Bridge, Sutton, Beckenham Junction, Thornton Heath and Dartford.

There is also an 1884 photograph of Shadbolt and 'Captain' Dale in the grounded balloon car with Shadbolt's camera clearly visible and attached to the basket (see my profile icon). The collection is estimated at £7,000-10,000 but for those interested I have created a Flickr slideshow with copyright watermarks to stop these escaping into the public domain too easily. Any comments or suggestions about some of the uncaptioned locations in the slideshow will be gratefully received: 

12201019863?profile=originalSLIDESHOW

Other highlights include a private collection of large and early platinum prints of India by little-known Victor Pont, portraits of Tennyson by Julia Margaret Cameron, O.G. Rejlander and James Mudd, an interesting album of rural China by an unidentified Western photographer/geologist 1875, three unidentified salt prints, good prints of Rome by Macpherson, a good series of vintage British Airways photographs by Norman Parkinson and an archive of studio photographs of British royalty and Society by Marcus Adams and his son Gilbert, from the family.

Photographers represented in the auction include Marcus Adams, Lai Afong, Albert Arthur Allen, Thomas Anna, Edouard-Denis Baldus, Cecil Beaton, Bisson Freres, Julia Margaret Cameron, Charles Clifford, two portraits of Charles Darwin, Philip Henry Delamotte, Olive Edis, Peter Henry Emerson, George Fiske, Francis Frith, Hill & Adamson, Lee Lockwood, Robert Macpherson, James Mudd, Eadweard Muybridge, Victor Pont, NASA, Kazumasa Ogawa, Norman Parkinson, William Lake Price, Victor Prout, Oscar Gustave Rejlander, Cecil V. Shadbolt, Kozabura Tamamura, John Whistler.

Dominic Winter Auctioneers

Photography 1850-2000

Thursday 15 October  : approx. 4pm start

Online catalogue: http://www.dominicwinter.co.uk

Viewing times:

Tuesday 13 October 9am - 7pm

Wednesday 14 October 9am - 6pm

Thursday 15 October from 9am

Earlier times by appointment only

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Here's the latest Newsletter, which covers this controversion subject: http://www.iphotocentral.com/news/issue_view.php/199/189 .  Too much bad information has been circulating about this auction.  The newsletter has a lot of other important stories as well, which are noted below:

FRENCH POLICE INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE FORGERY OF 19TH-CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHS AUCTIONED AT ARTCURIAL DEAUVILLE; CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHY LOS ANGELES SHOW A MORE PERSONALLY SIZED FAIR; PHOTO LA STRUGGLES TO FIND ITSELF; NEWS ABOUT CONTEMPORARY WORKS ARTISTS; THE MALCOLMSON COLLECTION--"PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTED US"; FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER LILLIAN BASSMAN DIES; YASUHIRO ISHIMOTO PASSES AWAY IN TOKYO; EUGENE "GENE" PRAKAPAS PASSES AWAY; WINE AND PHOTOGRAPHS: SINGER CELLARS SCORES HIGH; ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE PHOTOS WANTED; PHOTO BOOKS: KALISHER'S THE ALIENATED PHOTOGRAPHER; THREE BOOKS OF MILLER'S VINTAGE AMERICANA IMAGERY; FELICE BEATO; AND DEALER HERTZMANN'S CATALOG
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12200918472?profile=originalOne of fifteen sets of the Reports by the Juries (1852) given by the Commissioners of the Great Exhibition of 1851 to William Henry Fox Talbot and presented by him to his daughter Matilda sold at auction in London today for £216,000 including buyer's premium (£180,000 hammer price). The successful bidder was the London-based dealer, author and collector of middle eastern photography Badr El-Hage. El-Hage, who is known to have close links with several museums and collectors in the Middle East, was presumably buying the four volume set on behalf of a client.

Bidding on the lot, which was estimated at a very modest £20,000-30,000, opened at £16,000 with commission bids and then it quickly became a bidding battle between a seated and relaxed El-Hage and a nervous tall gentleman standing close by him at the back of the auction room. The standing gent was taking instructions via a mobile phone. One telephone line was also open.

El-Hage entered the bidding early on battling with the standing gentleman who looked to have it within his grasp at £150,000 before El-Hage, returned at £160,000. The standing man paused, hands shaking, and asked his caller whether he wanted to carry on. For a fraction of a second the lot appeared to be his at £170,000. El-Hage, with no hesitation, then bid again taking the price to t £180,000. The standing man asked his caller if he wished to bid and then stopped at that point. El-Hage raised his bidding number 795 and the auctioneer brought his hammer down. The lot had sold.

The four volume set which contained some of the strongest calotype prints in any set I have seen will require an export licence. As there are other sets in the UK - albeit without the particular Talbot provenance - this is unlikely to present any great hurdle. There are sets in, for example, the British Library, at the National Media Museum and in the University of London's Senate House. Furthermore, there are, presumably, still sets in the hands of descendents or passed to libraries from the 115 recipients presented with copies back in 1852 and some more of the 15 sets that Talbot was awarded - although it is likely that the full quota was never completed.

There have been two relatively recent sales: in 2001 Christie's sold a set with medals, originally presented to Lt. Crossman RE for £64,250 (including premium) and in 2007 a set formerly from the Fred Spira Collection, originally presented to John Gott, sold for €75,600 (inc premium) approx £45,200.

 

A link to the original BPH blog report which includes a link through to the full catalogue description is here: http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/reports-by-the-juries-1851

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Auction: Photographic medals

Dix Noonan & Webb, 16 Bolton Street Piccadilly London W1J 8BQ UK, have an auction of medals on 13 July 2011 which includes several groups of photographic medals from various photographic societies. As this is something that might not normally be found by BPH readers a summary of the relevant lots is included below. The auctioneer's website and catalogue, which includes a search feature, can be found here: http://www.dnw.co.uk/coins/auctions/rostrumauctions/auctioncatalogue/results.lasso 


1102 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Photography CHESHIRE, Birkenhead Photographic Association, a silver award medal by Fattorini, arms and crest, rev. sun above wreath, named (1929, Harold Brown, J.T. Peters Memorial), 44mm (Edge S6; cf. Simmons FPL 13, 31); Widnes Photographic Society, a silver award medal by Fattorini, named (J.W. Towers, Class A, 1906), hallmarked Birmingham 1905, 38mm (Edge -) [2]. About extremely fine and better, first toned 40-60 E40-60

1105 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Photography Co DURHAM, Sunderland Photographic Association (Founded 1888), a uniface silver award medal by Vaughton, arms, back named (1911, Mr J.B. Martin), hallmarked Birmingham 1910, 44mm; NORTHUMBERLAND, Newcastle-on-Tyne and Northern Counties Photographic Association, a silver award medal by J.A. Restall, named (G.E. Thompson, 1891), 45mm [2]. First very fine and in red fitted case of issue, second mint state and toned 60-80 E60-80

1110 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Photography LANCASHIRE, Lancaster Photographic Society, a silver award medal by J.A. Restall, arms above tablet, named (R.T. Simpson, 1904), rev. shield in wreath, engraved (Class I, Members Landscape), hallmarked Birmingham 1904, 45mm; Longton and District Photographic Society, a silver award medal by A.H. Darby, named (Awarded to Rev. C.F.L. Barnwell, 1st Prize, for Landscape, Members Class, 1904), hallmarked Birmingham 1903, 45mm; Southport Photographic Society (Founded 1890), a silver award medal by J.A. Restall, named (President's Medal, Print Competition, 1st, E.W. Johnson, 1911), 45mm [3]. Last virtually as struck, others about extremely fine, but first cleaned in the past and second with rim nicks 60-80 E60-80

1111 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Photography LANCASHIRE, Liverpool Amateur Photographic Association, a silver award medal by Brookes & Adams for Schierwater & Lloyd, Liverpool, arms and supporters, rev. sun above tablet, wreath below, named (International Exhibition, 1888, T.G. Hibbert), 44mm; Liverpool International Photographic Exhibition, 1891, a silver award medal by J.A. Restall, named (Awarded to C.E. Thompson), 45mm; Sefton Park Photographic Society, a silver award medal by Vaughton, named (J.W. Towers, 1904), hallmarked Birmingham 1902, 44mm (cf. Simmons FPL 13, 63) [3]. Extremely fine; first and last in cases of issue 70-90 E70-90

1119 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Photography YORKSHIRE, International Photographic Exhibition, Leeds, a silver award medal, unsigned [by J.A. Restall], classical male head right, sun behind, rev. city arms, edge named (Photo Mechanical Processes, Waterlow & Sons Ltd, 1895), 45mm. Brilliant mint state, attractive grey tone; in red and gilt case of issue 60-80 E60-80

1121 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Photography ANGUS, Dundee and East of Scotland Photographic Association, a silver award medal, unsigned [by Whytock & Sons, Dundee], shield and supporters, rev. wreath, named (Mrs T.P. Threlkeld, 1934-35), 41mm (cf. Simmons FPL 13, 55; cf. DNW 49, 784); AYRSHIRE, The Beith and District Arts and Crafts Club, a silver award medal by Vaughton, named (Awarded to H.W. Wilson for Photography), hallmarked Birmingham 1912, 32mm; MIDLOTHIAN, Edinburgh Photographic Society (Inst. 1861), a silver award medal by E.W. Thomson, edge impressed (John M. Turnbull, 1890), 48mm (cf. DNW M8, 2087); Waverley Photo Exhibition, 1900, a silver award medal by Fattorini, named (Awarded to Mr J.R. Clark), hallmarked Birmingham 1900, 45mm; PERTHSHIRE, The Perthshire Society of Natural Sciences, a silver award medal by J.A. Restall, named (Photo Exhibition, 1899, Class I B, Awarded to C.W. Primrose), hallmarked Birmingham 1898, 51mm [5]. Fourth mint state, othe rs very fine and better; first and fourth in cases of issue 90-120 E90-120

1124 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Photography Photographic Society of Great Britain, 1875, a copper award medal by W.J. Taylor, bust of Prince Albert left, rev. female driving quadriga left, edge named (Autotype Company, Exhibition 1885), 63mm (E 1478, note); Royal Photographic Society of Gt Britain, a silver award medal by Vaughton after W.J. Taylor, named (Leopold Mannes, 1963), hallmarked Birmingham 1960, 63mm (E 1478, note) [2]. Very fine and better, but second with edge knock 80-100 E80-100


1301 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Amateur Photographic Society, Ulster, a silver award medal by J.A. Restall, classical radiate head right, rev. wreath, named (Lantern Slides, J.J. Andrew, 1889), 52mm. Extremely fine or better; in original fitted case, the lid inscribed Wyon, 287 Regent Street, London 60-80 E60-80

1451 BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society (Inst. 1833), a silver Second Class award medal by W. Wyon, bust of James Watt left, rev. legend, edge named (Captain Paget & Lieut. Abney, for Photographs, 1870), 45mm (E 1272). Test scratch in obverse field and has been cleaned, otherwise about extremely fine; in maroon fitted case by R.S. Rowell, Watchmaker & Jeweller, Oxford 30-50 E30-50
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An archive of Brunel material consigned by a descendant of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel was sold at auction on 2 November 2010 (click to see the full sale) by Tooveys in Sussex. Included in the sale were several items of photographic interest, click to see the full descriptions:

  • BRUNEL, Isambard Kingdom (1806-1859). - Robert HOWLETT and George DOWNES (photographers). A stereoscopic 'double' patent, titled on pink paper label verso '16. "The Leviathan" Steam Ship. Portrait of Mr. Brunel'. [London:] Photographic Institution, [n.d. but circa 1857?]. Overall card size 174 x 85mm. (images with arched top, each 75 x 73mm.). - And four other related images (stereocard views of the Great Eastern). Provenance: Lady Sophia Macnamara Hawes neé Brunel (1802-1878), sister of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (inscriptions verso). Sold for £17,000
  • BRUNEL, Isambard Kingdom (1806-1859). - Unknown photographer. A shaped photographic portrait of Brunel. [N.p.: n.d. but circa 1857 or earlier]. Irregularly shaped and laid down on thin card. (Faded). Provenance: Lady Sophia Macnamara Hawes neé Brunel (1802-1878), sister of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Apparently a calotype, sold for £2200

  • HAWES, Sir Benjamin, (1797-1862), and Lady Sophia Macnamara HAWES neé BRUNEL (1802-1878). An album of topographical, military and portrait photographs, apparently assembled by or for Sir Benjamin and Lady Sophia Hawes. [N.p.: n.d. but circa 1857-1868]. Large 4to (283 x 226mm.), 66 leaves mounted with an original pencilled watercolour portrait of Lady Hawes by her daughter, dated 1865; 96 mounted photographic portraits (most carte-de-visite format, including 16 of royalty, a number accompanied by clipped signatures); 59 British topographical photographic views; 5 topographical photographic views of Canton (one inscribed 'taken by Corporal Wotherspoon R.E. April 1850' but torn into image area); 35 photographs of cannons, military equipment and constructions (one with associated label 'Photographic Establishment of the War Department'). (The majority slightly faded.) Original green morocco gilt, g.e. (scuffed, lower joint split). Note: Sir Benjamin served as Minister of War during the Crimean War. Sold for £13,000

  • DICKINS, Frederick Victor (1838-1915, ?compiler). - Unknown photographer. An album of mounted topographical photographs of Japan. [Japan: n.d. but circa 1870-1879.]. Folio (360 x 260mm.) 54 mounted photographs (most 210 x 283mm.); 35 mounted coloured scenes of Japanese life printed on cloth; 4 mounted Japanese botanical prints on paper, on 55 card leaves. Original green half-morocco (worn). Provenance: Thomas Dickins (Edgemoor House, Manchester, bookplate). Note: Frederick Victor Dickins, an orientalist of note and translator of Japanese literature, lived in Japan from 1871 to 1879. He appears to have annotated the album for Thomas Dickins. Sold for £4000

  • RAILWAYS. Unknown photographer. A fine side view of 'The Puffing Billy'. [N.p.: n.d. but circa 1855-1862.] 1 photograph (200 x 278mm.) backed onto paper with early manuscript caption slip. (Somewhat faded). Note: 'The Puffing Billy is one of the two earliest surviving locomotives. Sold for £750

  • PHOTOGRAPHS. A carte-de-visite album containing a good selection of photographs depicting 19th Century authors, scientists and others. [N.p.: n.d. but circa 1870-1890.] 4to (285 x 215mm.) 23 leaves with 140 carte-de-visite or cabinet photographs, a few with associated clipped signatures, subjects include C. Darwin, T. Huxley, L. Pasteur, T. Edison, H.W. Longfellow, N. Hawthorne, C. Dickens, E.A. Poe, Gen. R.E. Lee, Charles Peace, J.E. Millais. Original morocco (worn). Sold for £4000

  • TALBOT, William Henry Fox (1800-1877). A mounted calotype from 'The Pencil of Nature', with manuscript title to mount 'Bust of Patroculus' [n.p.: n.d. but 1843]. Calotype (143 x 139mm.) With ruled ink border, on original thin card mount (303 x 240mm.), with number '17' below lower-right corner of the calotype, and title in ink at lower-right corner of the mount. (Print faded, light soiling to mount). Note: plate 17, showing Talbot's plaster cast of a Hellenistic marble, from his 'The Pencil of Nature'. Sold for £600

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If you'd missed out on the recent Lothrop auction, fear not as there is another sale of landmark cameras, including British ones. Carried out by the largest Australian auction house, Leonard Joel, the Dr Dinesh Parekh Camera Collection will be on offer on Sunday 18th July 2010.

A retired psychiatrist, Dr Dinesh Parekh, spent more than 30 yearsaccumulating an equally impressive collection of antique cameras. Catalogued by camera historian, Michael Pritchard, there are 350 lots with many groupings, which places the total number of items at about 1000, and an expected sale of Aus $200,000 in total.

Dr Parekh's aim fromthe start was to assemble a collection that spans the history of photography through the machinery that makes it possible. Hence, this logical approach includes such exotica as a 19-century head clamp and a portable dark tent (by the London firm of Murray and Heath from the late 1850s) with collodion processing equipment used by the early pioneers of photography.

The collection also features stereoscopic cameras, magic lanterns, a working Mutoscope, optical toys,as well as the 'first instant camera' - The Dubroni from 1864, and Kodak's Super Six-20 of 1938, the first to feature automatic exposure control.

Under the hammer will also be a series of spy cameras, including some remarkable examples from the late 19th century (eg Photo-Binocle dating from th12200892854?profile=originale 1890s), as well as a range of Leicas from 1920 to 1970. Most are priced from $200 to $500,with notable exceptions, such as the Leica 250 GG Reporter camera (estimate $5500) and the M3 Bundeseigentum ($4000).

The full auction catalogue can be found here.


Photos: Collodion dark tent processing apparatus, Murray & Heath, London, 1850s;
Dubroni outfit, Paris - launched in 1864 and is considered the first'instant' camera, although strictly speaking the camera offered processing inside the camera immediately after the plate was exposed.



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