Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991Fulton Street Fish Market, New York Cityca 1930
ca 1930
About the Item
- Creator:Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991 (1898-1991, American)
- Creation Year:ca 1930
- Dimensions:Height: 5 in (12.7 cm)Width: 6.25 in (15.88 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU118526814472
Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
While photographer Berenice Abbott has wrongly never been heralded as one of the defining giants of 20th-century photography, she is widely known, indeed celebrated, for her iconic portraits of some of the most glamorous denizens of 1920s bohemian Paris.
And although less familiar, Abbott’s photos of the deserted streets, aging tenements and rising office towers of Depression-era New York have been critically recognized as nothing short of groundbreaking. Additionally, her relatively obscure work as a science photographer has received an admiring reappraisal in recent years. Recognized for having dramatically advanced the medium’s aesthetics and techniques (earning four patents along the way), not to mention the ambition of her subject matter — the principle laws of physics — she has been favorably compared to two early masters of modernist experimentation: her mentor Man Ray and László Moholy Nagy.
In 1918, at just 19, freckled, androgynous and with cropped hair, Abbott fell in with a crowd that included the lesbian writer and illustrator Djuna Barnes and the Dadaists Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp. They encouraged her to follow them to Paris and study with the renowned sculptor Antoine Bourdelle. Unable to pay for her training, and barely surviving, Abbott took a job as Man Ray’s assistant. The miracles of the darkroom quickly converted her to photography, as did her paycheck, and Man Ray tutored her in its fundamentals.
By 1926, Abbott had set up her own studio with backing from Peggy Guggenheim, the American heiress and art patron. André Gide, Jean Cocteau, Janet Flanner and James Joyce were among the luminaries and socialites who came for sittings. Her subversive lens made for riveting portraits.
A number of Abbott’s images of New York appear to have been shot by drone or, in the technological equivalent for the day, a dirigible. They actually entailed her stationing herself precariously on the rooftops and ledges of the skyscrapers along Wall Street and Midtown.
That feat recalls the famous photograph of Abbott’s contemporary and fellow Ohioan Margaret Bourke-White taking a shot of the New York skyline astride one of the metallic eagle heads atop the Chrysler building. One can only wonder if a photograph of Abbott in a similarly heroic pose would have helped her recognition as the trailblazing documentarian she was.
Find Berenice Abbott photography on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Fulton Street Fish Market, New York City, circa 1930By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991Located in New York, NYCa. 1930 Gravure print from The Limited Editions Club edition of The Bottom of the Harbor, Joe Mitchell Image: 5 x 6 inches UnsignedCategory
1930s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
MaterialsPhotogravure, Silver Gelatin
- Black Sun/Sol negro, Campeche, MexicoBy Flor GarduñoLocated in New York, NY2013 Gelatin silver print, vintage 16 x 20 in. Signed in pencil on versoCategory
2010s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Flatiron Building, New York City, 1938By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991Located in New York, NY1938 Silver print on 16 x 20-inch mount 11 x 14 in. Signed and stamped Berenice AbbottCategory
1930s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- El Perro VeinteBy Manuel Alvarez BravoLocated in New York, NY1958 Gelatin silver print, printed later 7 1/2 x 8 3/4 in. Artist's signature in pencil on versoCategory
1950s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Penn Station Interior, New York City, July, 1936By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991Located in New York, NY1936 Silver print on 20 x 24-inch ragboard 16 x 20 in. Stamped Berenice Abbott, Abbott Village, Maine 04406Category
1930s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Pyramid of Khephren, EgyptBy Marilyn BridgesLocated in New York, NY1993 (printed later) Gelatin silver print 20 x 24 in. Signed in pencil on versoCategory
1990s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Girl and Jar, San Ildefonso, New MexicoBy Edward CurtisLocated in Santa Fe, NMEdward Sheriff Curtis. Vintage Photogravure. North American Indian Project. Print area is in good condition, white border of paper has some wear.Category
Early 1900s Portrait Photography
MaterialsPhotogravure
- A Hopi Mother, Plate 403, 1921By Edward CurtisLocated in Santa Fe, NMEdward Sheriff Curtis. Vintage Photogravure. North American Indian Project. Print area is in good condition, edges of white border of paper has some handling creases.Category
Early 1900s Portrait Photography
MaterialsPhotogravure
- A Family Group – Noatak, Plate 717By Edward CurtisLocated in Santa Fe, NMEdward Sheriff Curtis. Vintage Photogravure. North American Indian Project.Category
Early 1900s Portrait Photography
MaterialsPhotogravure
- Grinding Medicine – Zuni, Plate 606By Edward CurtisLocated in Santa Fe, NMEdward Sheriff Curtis. Vintage Photogravure. North American Indian Project.Category
Early 1900s Portrait Photography
MaterialsPhotogravure
- Chrysler Building from Madison AvenueBy Tom BarilLocated in New York, NYPhotogravure from the Tom Baril 'Manhattan' Portfolio. Edition of 75, signed by the artist on bottom right. Framing: acid free, archival framed, cotton rag mat. Glazing: Optium muse...Category
Early 2000s Black and White Photography
MaterialsPhotogravure
- World Trade CenterBy Tom BarilLocated in New York, NYPhotogravure from the Tom Baril 'Manhattan' Portfolio. Edition of 75, signed by the artist on bottom right. Framing: acid free, archival framed, cotton rag mat. Glazing: Optium museum plexi. A graduate of New York’s School of Visual Arts, Tom Baril spent over fifteen years as Robert Mapplethorpe’s master printer. His subjects include urban architecture, seascapes and meticulously detailed botanical and nature photographs. Baril’s work demonstrates a command of technique that results from his extensive experience as a master printer. Baril developed a unique toning process that enriches the color and opulence of his photographs. Tom Baril is inspired by the nature studies of modernist photographers such as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham and Karl Blossfeldt. A similar attentiveness to the clarity of line, form, pattern and texture characterizes Baril’s still lifes. In composing the seascapes, Baril employs the traditional box camera obscura, better known as the pinhole camera...Category
Early 2000s American Realist Black and White Photography
MaterialsPhotogravure