Black and White Photography
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Black and White Photography For Sale
Period: 1950s
Period: 1930s
New England Skiing
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A skier carrying his boots in New Hampshire, 1955.
New England Skiing
Black and White Photography
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Numbered and stamped b...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Liz Pringle Refreshments in Jamaica
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fashion model Liz Pringle drinking from a coconut at the Round Hill resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Slim Aarons
Liz Pringle Refreshments in Jamaica
Black and White Photography
Slim Aa...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Taylor, Todd And Family
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A contact strip depicting British-born American actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - 2011) at an airfield, (possibly Croydon Airport, London) with her third husband, American producer Mi...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Perso nell'immensità - New York, 1955 - Full Framed Black & White Photography
Located in Brussels, BE
Perso nell'immensità, 1955. Men and hats, in the streets of New York.
Work sold in perfect condition, print on baryta paper 310 grs pigment inks of museum quality, limited edition of 5 copies
The artwork is mounted on dibond and fixed in American floating box...
Category
1950s Photorealist Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Policemen in Paris circa 1930 - Silver Gelatin Black and White Photography
Located in Atlanta, GA
A unique original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Press Agency Keystone View Co. Policemen in Paris, circa 1930.
French police officers in ...
Category
1930s Art Deco Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Seaplane At Palm Beach
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Patsy Pulitzer (nee Patsy Bartlett) leaning against a seaplane belonging to the Everglades Flying Service, at Palm Beach, Florida.
Slim Aarons
Seaplane At Palm Beach...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Bad Luck Gloria
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American actor Jose Ferrer (1912 - 1992) commiserates with Gloria Swanson after losing out in the contest for the Best Actress Oscar, while the winner, Judy Holliday, sits proudly wi...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Holiday Hair Check
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Faith Gibbons checks her hair in the mirror of a motor scooter, Bermuda, 1958. She is wearing a striped Irish linen overblouse by Donald Davies of Dublin.
Slim Aarons
Holiday Hair Check...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Venetian Play
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Orson Welles (1915 - 1985) directing Othello on location in Venice.
Slim Aarons
Venetian Play
Black and White Photography
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Eden Hartford
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Actress Eden Hartford, sister to Dee, in the Hollywood home she shared with her husband, comedian Groucho Marx.
Slim Aarons
Eden Hartford
Black and White Photography
Slim Aarons Est...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Jean Patchett For Saks Fifth Avenue
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American model Jean Patchett wearing an outfit by Saks Fifth Avenue, circa 1955. Patchett was one of the first to join Eileen Ford’s ground-breaking mode...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
The Carlton Hotel
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Cadillac with Florida plates parked outside the Carlton Hotel, Cannes, France, circa 1955.
The Carlton Hotel
Black and White Photography
Slim Aarons E...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Polygon, Caracas, Venezuela, Architectural landscape black and white Photograph
By Leo Matiz
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The Polygon, Caracas, Venezuela by Leo Matiz
Image size: 13 in. H x 8.5 in. W
Frame size: 33 in. H x 22 in. W
Modern Selenium Toned Gelatin Silver Print
1950, re-printed in 1995
Fram...
Category
1950s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
Materials
Black and White
New England Skiing
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A young skier prefers to carry his skis down the slope in New Hampshire, 1955.
New England Skiing
Black and White Photography
Slim Aarons Estate Ed...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
French Polo Crowd
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A group of spectators at a polo match, France, circa 1950.
Slim Aarons
French Polo Crowd
Black and White Photography
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaro...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
Pulitzer On The Beach
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Patsy Pulitzer (nee Patsy Bartlett) at Palm Beach, Florida.
Slim Aarons
Pulitzer On The Beach
Black and White Photography
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category
1950s American Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, Black and White, Digital
Jayne Mansfield with Seagrams Dogs (Limited Edition of 10, No 3-5) - 40"x50"
By Barry Kramer
Located in New York, NY
Shot by Barry Kramer (1921- 1984), one of the most prolific photographers of his time, captures the essence of 1950's Hollywood movie star, Jane Mansfield...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
'Sun Beams into Grand Central Station' Limited Edition Photograph 20X30
Located in San Rafael, CA
Beams of sunlight streaming through the windows at Grand Central Station, New York City, circa 1930. (Photo by Hal Morey/Getty Images)
As an authorized Get...
Category
1930s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Young Fidel Castro - Vintage b/w Photo-1957
Located in Roma, IT
Young Fidel Castro - Vintage b/w Photo realized in 1959 in New York, Stamped Copyright by:
Black Star, London.
Good conditions.
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
'Las Vegas Luxury' 1954 Slim Aarons Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Las Vegas Luxury' 1954 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition
Austrian actress Mara Lane enjoys waiter service in the pool at the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, 1954. (Photo by Slim Aarons)
...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Helen Frankenthaler, Painter in the Studio, Photograph of Woman Artist 1950s
By Burt Glinn
Located in New york, NY
A portrait of Helen Frankenthaler (1925-2011) in her studio in New York. Glinn captures the celebrated artist, Frankenthaler, in the process of making art - surrounded by paint, mate...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
'Sun Beams into Grand Central Station' Limited Edition Photograph 30X40
Located in San Rafael, CA
Beams of sunlight streaming through the windows at Grand Central Station, New York City, circa 1930. (Photo by Hal Morey/Getty Images)
As an authorized Get...
Category
1930s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Flood of the Seine River in Paris circa 1930, Silver Gelatin B and W Photography
Located in Atlanta, GA
A unique original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Agence Meurisse, Paris circa 1930. The flood of the Seine River at Port de la Tournelle....
Category
1930s Art Deco Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Ernest Hemingway - Vintage Photograph - 1950s
Located in Roma, IT
Ernest Hemingway - Vintage Photograph is an original black and white photograph realized in 1950s.
Good conditions.
A historical moment of the past through the art of photography ...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Kings of Hollywood
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Film stars (left to right) Clark Gable (1901 - 1960), Van Heflin (1910 - 1971), Gary Cooper (1901 - 1961) and James Stewart (1908 - 1997) enjoy a joke at a New Year's party held at R...
Category
1950s Realist Black and White Photography
Materials
Lambda
"Golf Lesson" by Reg Speller
Located in London, GB
"Golf Lesson" by Reg Speller
14th October 1937: Keith Dalby giving a golf lesson at Finchley golf club.
Unframed
Paper Size: 20" x 24'' (inches)
Printed 2022
Silver Gelatin Fibre ...
Category
1930s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Black and White
V&A Museum London 'Queen Elizabeth II' by Cecil Beaton
By Cecil Beaton
Located in London, GB
'Queen Elizabeth II' by Cecil Beaton (1904-80)
Queen Elizabeth II in full formal regalia of sash, ballgown, and tiara, England, 1955.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Paper size...
Category
1950s Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
521 – René Groebli, Black and White, Nude, Photography, Body, Woman, Erotic, Art
By René Groebli
Located in Zurich, CH
René GROEBLI (*1927, Switzerland)
521, 1952
Vintage silver gelatin print on Baryta paper
Image 27.6 x 19 cm (10 7/8 x 7 1/2 in.)
Sheet 34 x 23 cm (13 3/8 x 9 in.)
Unique
Framed
Signed and dated on verso
This photograph is part of the MoMA permanent collection.
René Groebli (born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1927) secured his place among the elite of Swiss post-war photographers with his 1949 portfolio MAGIE DER SCHIENE (RAIL MAGIC). In the early fifties Groebli worked as reporter for Life, Picture Post and other international magazines. During the following years he owned a studio for industrial and advertising photography. In 1957 the American Color Annual named him MASTER OF COLOR.
In the early 80s Groebli stopped working for advertising and rediscovered for himself the possibilities of expression that black & white photography offers. In 1999 the Zurich Kunsthaus (Art Museum) showed a representative selection of his photographs from the years 1946 to 1996.
With NUDES René Groebli gives us a work for sensuous pleasure that had grown over half a century. In the long history of sensual art photography one is hard pressed to find anyone comparable to the Swiss photo...
Category
1950s Post-War Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Slim Aarons 'Capucine'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Capucine, 1957
Fiber print
30 x 20 inches
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Slim Aarons (1916-2006) worked mainl...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
C Print
Policemen in Paris circa 1930 - Silver Gelatin Black and White Photography
Located in Atlanta, GA
An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Wide World Photos - New York Times, Paris. Policemen in Paris circa 1930.
Features:
Original Silver Gelatin Print Photography...
Category
1930s Art Deco Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Photography Black White Landscape Outdoor Nature Adventure Travel Photo Signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Yosemite Valley" is an original photograph by Thomas Ferderbar. This is an expansive landscape show of the yosemite valley. An amazing black and white view that emulates Ferderbar's...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Luster, Archival Ink, Digital
Gerry Cranham 'Sundial Hat' Limited Edition Photograph 20x30
By Ed Feingersh
Located in San Rafael, CA
British dancer Rosemary Andree wearing a sunhat with a clock face design on a summer's day at the Roehampton Pool. (Photo by Gerry Cranham/Getty Images)
As an authorized Getty Image...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper
Gerry Cranham 'Sundial Hat' Limited Edition Photograph 30x40
Located in San Rafael, CA
British dancer Rosemary Andree wearing a sunhat with a clock face design on a summer's day at the Roehampton Pool. (Photo by Gerry Cranham/Getty Images)
As an authorized Getty Image...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper
Ernest Hemingway, Cuba
Located in Toronto, ON
Hand Signed by Ken Heyman Limited Edition of ? Born in New York City in 1930, Ken Heyman first became interested in photography in high school. Later, during his student days at Columbia College-which were interrupted by a two-year stint in the army-his skill as a photographer grew, but still regarded photography as no more than a hobby. Then two events in college helped to direct him toward his career in photography. First, he sent off selections of his work to two national photography annuals and was pleased, indeed surprised, when both indicated they were eager to print his pictures-and did.
But perhaps more important was his becoming a student of the distinguished anthropologist Margaret Mead...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Observatory of Time India by Gleb Derujinsky, Vintage Fashion Photography
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Selected from Derujinsky: The Around The World Portfolio, shot at the Observatory of Time (Jantar Mantar), India for Harper's Bazaar
Artist: Gleb Derujinsky
Title: Observatory of T...
Category
1950s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
Tom & Rita (Thomas Hart Benton Plate #10)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Michael Mardikes
Tom & Rita (Thomas Hart Benton Plate #10)
Year: 1956, 2021
Pigment Ink on Archival Paper Photograph
Image Size: 14.5x14.5 in
Paper Size: 22x17 in
Edition: Unique
Sig...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Willie
Located in Toronto, ON
Hand Signed by Ken Heyman ...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Kings Of Hollywood Slim Aarons Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Kings Of Hollywood 1957
Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition
Clark Gable (1901 – 1960), Van Heflin (1910 – 1971), Gary Cooper (1901 – 1961) and James Stewart (1908 – 1997)
enjoying...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Hong Kong Harbor by Gleb Derujinsky, Fashion Photography
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Selected from the Derujinsky: Around The World Portfolio, shot in Hong Kong for Harper's Bazaar
Artist: Gleb Derujinsky
Title: Hong Kong Harbor
Yea...
Category
1950s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
'Sun Beams into Grand Central Station' Limited Edition Photograph 16 X 12
Located in San Rafael, CA
Beams of sunlight streaming through the windows at Grand Central Station, New York City, circa 1930. (Photo by Hal Morey/Getty Images)
As an authorized Get...
Category
1930s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
'Sun Beams into Grand Central Station' Limited Edition Photograph 16 X 20
Located in San Rafael, CA
Beams of sunlight streaming through the windows at Grand Central Station, New York City, circa 1930. (Photo by Hal Morey/Getty Images)
As an authorized Get...
Category
1930s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
La Cave de Luis Candela by Gleb Derujinsky, 1957, Fashion Photography
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Selected from the Derujinsky: Around The World Portfolio, shot in the famous restaurant La Cave de Luis Candela in Madrid for Harper's Bazaar
Artist: Gleb Derujinsky
Title: La Cave...
Category
1950s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Kurt Hutton Fair Fun 1938 Limited Edition Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
By Kurt Hutton
Located in London, GB
Fair Fun (1938) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
(Photo by Kurt Hutton/Getty Images)
Two young women enjoying themselves on the 'Caterpillar' ride at Southend Fair, Essex, October 1938...
Category
1930s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
"Marilyn On The Roof" by Ed Feingersh
By Ed Feingersh
Located in London, GB
"Marilyn On The Roof" by Ed Feingersh
NEW YORK CITY - MARCH 1955: American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) leans over the balcony of the Ambassador Hotel...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Black and White
Joseph McKeown 'Need for Speed' Grand Prix Limited Edition Photograph 40x60
Located in San Rafael, CA
July 17, 1954: Argentinian racer Juan Manuel Fangio (1911 - 1995) chalks up a win for the Mercedes team at the French Grand Prix in Reims. Original Publication: Picture Post - 7209 -...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Benton on the Couch (Thomas Hart Benton Plate #28)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Michael Mardikes
Benton on the Couch (Thomas Hart Benton Plate #28)
Year: 1956, 2021
Pigment Ink on Archival Paper Photograph
Size: 19x13.5 in
Paper Size: 22x17 in
Edition: 10 (9 Mon...
Category
1950s Naturalistic Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Patsy Pulitzer, Private Transport
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons
Patsy Pulitzer, Private Transport
1955
C print
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Patsy Pulitzer rummag...
Category
1950s American Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
V&A Museum London 'Queen Elizabeth II' by Cecil Beaton
By Cecil Beaton
Located in London, GB
'Queen Elizabeth II' by Cecil Beaton (1904-80)
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the sash of the Order of the Garter and a diamond and pearl diadem made for King George IV, Buckingham Palac...
Category
1950s Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Pablo Picasso
Located in Toronto, ON
Hand Signed by Ken Heyman ...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller
Located in Toronto, ON
Hand Signed by Ken Heyman
Born in New York City in 1930, Ken Heyman first became interested in photography in high school. Later, during his student days at Columbia College-which were interrupted by a two-year stint in the army-his skill as a photographer grew, but still regarded photography as no more than a hobby. Then two events in college helped to direct him toward his career in photography. First, he sent off selections of his work to two national photography annuals and was pleased, indeed surprised, when both indicated they were eager to print his pictures-and did.
But perhaps more important was his becoming a student of the distinguished anthropologist Margaret Mead...
Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Dior, Felicite Gown, 1953.
By Mark Shaw
Located in New York, NY
Dior, Felicite Gown, 1953. Image size is 13.75" x 20" (for 17" x 22" paper size). All Mark Shaw prints are made to order in limited editions on Hahnemuhle photo rag paper. Each print...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Giclée
Slim Aarons Official Estate Print - Pulitzer On The Beach - Oversize
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Pulitzer On The Beach
Patsy Pulitzer at Palm Beach, Florida, circa 1955.
Photo by Slim Aarons
Slim Aarons silver gelatine fibre based print
Printed Later
Slim Aarons Estate Edi...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Ceylon Sails by Gleb Derujinsky, Vintage Fashion Photography
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Selected from the Derujinsky: Around The World Portfolio, shot in Ceylon for Harper's Bazaar
Artist: Gleb Derujinsky
Title: Ceylon Sails
Year Exposed: 1957
Estate Edition: signed...
Category
1950s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons Official Estate Print - Park Avenue 1953 - Oversize
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Park Avenue
A view of neatly arranged office and apartment blocks along Park Avenue in New York City.
Slim Aarons silver gelatine fibre based print
Printed Later
Slim Aarons Esta...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Nara by Gleb Derujinsky, Vintage Fashion Photography
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Selected from the Derujinsky: Around The World Portfolio, shot in Nara Deer Park Japan for Harper's Bazaar for Harper's Bazaar
Artist: Gleb Derujinsky
Titl...
Category
1950s Other Art Style Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Temple of Dawn by Gleb Derujinsky, 1957, Fashion Photography
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Selected from the Derujinsky: Around The World Portfolio, shot at the Grand Palace in Thailand for Harper's Bazaar
Artist: Gleb Derujinsky
Title: Fragrant Harbor
Year: 1957
Estat...
Category
1950s Naturalistic Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
'Rock, Mirror Lake, Yosemite' Original Photograph by Thomas Ferderbar
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Rock, Mirror, Lake, Yosemite" is an original photograph created by Thomas Ferderbar. Ferderbar shows us a striking photo of a large rock sitting in a mirror still lake. The flow of nature takes the viewers eyes all around the image and back again with it's beautiful features. Ferderbar signed and dated the piece. This work is archivally framed with acid free foam board backing, museum glass, and a silver finished frame.
Art: 34.63" x 24.88"
Frame: 42.5" x 32.5"
Titled, dated, and signed by the artist
Interview With the Artist:
"I wanted to become a photographer at the age of 12, when my sister Grace gave me a Kodak Box Brownie camera...
Category
1950s Photorealist Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Luster, Digital
Benton walking dog (Thomas Hart Benton Plate #6)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Michael Mardikes
Benton walking dog (Thomas Hart Benton Plate #6)
Year: 1956, 2021
Pigment Ink on Archival Paper Photograph
Image Size: 19x13.5 in
Paper Size: 22x17 in
Edition: Unique
Monogrammed by hand
Label signed and numbered by Estate Representative
COA provided by Authorizing Body
Additional COA provided by representing Gallery
Ref.: 924802-908
Image included in the exhibition An Artist at Home in America: Michael Mardikes’ Photographs of Thomas Hart Benton at the Kansas City Public Library (November 20, 2021-May 15, 2022)
One night in late 2020, as Nick Vedros was leaving the home of his Aunt Myrt and Uncle Michael Mardikes, his aunt suddenly asked him, “What are we going to do with all the negatives?” The noted Kansas City photographer was not sure what his 89-year-old aunt was talking about, until she handed him a notebook filled with more than 1000 negatives chronicling Thomas Hart Benton at home and in his studio. They had been filed away for almost seven decades.
This startling discovery was the inspiration for the exhibition, “An Artist at Home in America: Michael Mardikes’ Photographs of Thomas Hart Benton” on view at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library. The exhibition is a must-see, not just for fans of Thomas Hart Benton but for devotees of exemplary photojournalism.
Of the 1,080 photographs Mardikes took, only four had been published in an article he wrote for “This Month in Kansas City” magazine in 1966. The others were never printed, nor was their existence common knowledge. Although Vedros had been aware of his uncle’s assignment with Benton, he was stunned to discover that so much additional material existed.
Vedros, who decided at age 12 to become a photographer himself after seeing his uncle’s work, was determined to organize an exhibition, and was especially interested in doing it as quickly as possible given his uncle’s advanced age and increasing frailty. Collaborating with Dan White, a photographer, master printer and friend since their time together at the University of Missouri journalism school, they selected 34 images to be printed and framed, researching the details with Steve Sitton, the director of the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio Historic Site.
Michael Mardikes had had a brief career as a commercial photographer before going on to work in management at the Ford Motor Company and later at UMKC. He made the acquaintance of Benton through Eugene Pyle, a former student of Benton’s and Mardikes’ photography instructor at the Art Institute. In 1955, Benton asked Mardikes to photograph him; Mardikes visited Benton 35 to 40 times, over a period of a few months in late 1955 and early 1956. Sitton told Vedros that not only was Mardikes’ amount of access incredible, but that the resulting body of work was unmatched.
As the project progressed, Benton became focused on a mural commission for the River Club in 1956. Henry Adams, preeminent Benton scholar and former curator at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, provided some context for this particular work: “The commission to paint ‘Traders at Westport Landing’ came at a low point in Benton’s career, 1956, and initiated the late phase of Benton’s mural paintings. It was the first of a series of murals depicting the exploration and settlement of the west, which culminated in the Truman Library mural, which was completed in 1962. All these murals feature trading and friendly contact with the Indians, rather than conflict, and are arresting in their bright color and meticulous rendering of carefully researched detail. The River Club, which commissioned ‘Traders at Westport Landing,’ overlooks the Missouri River and has a panoramic view very similar to the one in Benton’s painting.”
This group of black and white photos not only documents the artist’s working process but also reveals other aspects of his daily life: one memorable image reveals Rita Benton massaging her husband’s stiff shoulders after a long day in his studio. Other images show members of the River Club board visiting Benton’s studio to check on the progress of the mural. One charming image captures a candid moment of Rita Benton and Myrt Mardikes as they collaborated in the Benton kitchen making chicken kapama for their husbands.
Nan Chisholm
Nan Chisholm is an art consultant and appraiser of 19th- and 20th-century paintings. After a long association with Sotheby’s, she founded her own business in 2003. She has appeared as a fine art appraiser...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Shop Black and White Photography
There’s a lot to love about black and white photography.
The unique and timeless quality of a black and white photograph accentuates any room. Some might argue that we’re naturally drawn to color photography because it’s the world we know best. This is a shared belief, particularly in the era of camera-phone photography, editing apps and the frenetic immediacy of sharing photos on social media. But when we look at black and white photography, we experience deep, rich shadows and tonal properties in a way that transfixes us. Composition and textures are crisp and engaging. We’re immediately drawn to the subjects of vintage street photography and continue to feel the emotional impact of decades-old photojournalism. The silhouettes of mountains in black and white landscape photography are particularly pronounced, while portrait photography and the skylines of urban cityscapes come to life in monochrome prints.
When decorating with fine photography, keep in mind that some color photographs may not be suitable for every space. However, you can be more daring with black and white photos. The gray tones are classic, sophisticated and generally introduce elegance to any corner of your home, which renders black and white prints amazingly versatile.
Black and white photography adapts to its surroundings like a chameleon might. A single large-scale black and white photograph above the sofa in your living room is going to work with any furniture style, and as some homeowners and designers today are working to introduce more muted tones and neutral palettes to dining rooms and bedrooms, the integration of black and white photography — a hallmark of minimalist decor — is a particularly natural choice for such a setting.
Another advantage to bringing black and white photography into your home is that you can style walls and add depth and character without worrying about disrupting an existing color scheme. Black and white photographs actually harmonize well with accent colors such as yellow, red and green. Your provocative Memphis Group lighting and bold Pierre Paulin seating will pair nicely with the black and white fine nude photography you’ve curated over the years.
Black and white photography also complements a variety of other art. Black and white photos pair well with drawings and etchings in monochromatic hues. They can also form part of specific color schemes. For example, you can place black and white prints in colored picture frames for a pop of color. And while there are no hard and fast rules, it’s best to keep black and white prints separate from color photographs. Color prints stand out in a room more than black and white prints do. Pairing them may detract attention from your black and white photography. Instead, dedicate separate walls or spaces to each.
Once you’ve selected the photography that best fits your space, you’ll need to decide how to hang the images. If you want to hang multiple photos, it’s essential to know how to arrange wall art. A proper arrangement can significantly enhance a living space.
On 1stDibs, explore a vast collection of compelling black and white photography by artists such as Mark Shaw, Jack Mitchell (a photographer you should know), Berenice Abbott and David Yarrow.
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