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.
New York at Night
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in New York, NY
13.5 x 10.5 inch gelatin silver print, printed circa 1980 Framed to 26.5 x 22.5 inches Signed on verso Berenice Abbott's "New York at Night" is one ...
Silver Gelatin
Pennsylvania Station Interior Study July 14th
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in Carmel, CA
Incredible important historic photograph by one of the most famous women photographers. Excellent condition been framed since purchased. Signed in Pencil on Lower Right Recto Mat Dry...
Silver Gelatin
WASHINGTON SQUARE LOOKING NORTH
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in Portland, ME
Abbott, Berenice. WASHINGTON SQUARE LOOKING NORTH. Vintage Gelatin Silver print, 1936. Stamped verso "Federal Art Project/"Changing New York"/Photograp...
Silver Gelatin
Hoboken Ferry Terminal, Lackawanna Railroad, Barclay Street, New York
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in New York, NY
This work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Silver Gelatin
Edward Hopper, 1947
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and numbered in pencil on recto Gelatin Silver Print Image - 18"x23", Matted - 27"x33"
Silver Gelatin
![New York Stock Exchange [Wall Street]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/berenice-abbott-1898-1991-american-photography-new-york-stock-exchange-wall-street-for-sale/a_9323/1540480207319/Abbott_Wall_Street_master.jpg?width=240)
Price Upon Request
New York Stock Exchange [Wall Street]
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print mounted to museum board Signed in pencil on overmat, l.r. Photographer's 'Abbott, Maine' stamp in black ink, verso of mount 9.5 x 7.5 inches, sheet 14 x 11 inches, mount 16.625 x 13.375 inches, overmat This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Theoline, Pier 11, East River, NY
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer.
Silver Gelatin
$716Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 16 in
Alfred Stieglitz, Equivalent, Series 107, 1947 (after)
By Alfred Stieglitz
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite halftone print after Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), titled Equivalent, Series 107, originates from the 1947 folio Stieglitz Memorial Portfolio, 1864–1946. Published by ...
Offset
Pebble Beach
By Wynn Bullock
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin print is signed and dated in ink on the front of the mount beneath the image and was likely made in 1970. An image that heralded Bullock's highly experi...
Silver Gelatin
Hoop and Ball
By Nenad Samuilo Amodaj
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 5. CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through September 11th, 2016. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be available after September 11th. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase. Please allow two weeks for production. Shipping time depends on method of shipping. Price is subject to availability. The Robin Rice Gallery reserves the right to adjust this price depending on the current edition of the photograph. ABOUT: In the hazy, warm New York summer, little is more refreshing than reclining on the beach in the mist of the icy ocean waves or enjoying a family trip to the country house. Each summer, Rice curates her favorite show, the Summertime Salon, which reminds us of this exact seasonal sentiment. The two, long walls of the gallery become mosaicked, top to bottom, side to side, in photographs that evoke all the preeminent feelings and memories of summer. Each year, the Summertime Salon matures and Rice’s annual masterpiece comes into fruition. This year is no exception. The show is a haven of what the Robin Rice Gallery stands for, a community of art and experience. As the largest annual exhibition, the Summertime Salon is carefully pieced together, the results are staggering. The works of the 53 gallery artists come together communally, reinforcing the overall sense of unity that the show creates as a whole. In knowing the photographs so fluently, Rice strategically places them together in a way that will enhance the individual stories contained in each. Details from one image flow from into the next, elevating every photograph in a distinctly unique way. This year’s invitational image, “Surf Club” by Silvia Lareo-Vasquez, features a woman in a vintage sun hat reclining in the pool with a drink. The black and white image evokes an extreme sense of nostalgia in its cinematic portraiture and supple texture. Though the figure of the woman is tauntingly beautiful, the drink is the darkest tone, nearing black, and is centered in the frame. With this, we are reminded of the refreshing notes of summer and the utter serenity of taking the day off to relax. The show’s imagery is evocative of all eras of summer, thus any viewer can relate or connect to one of the images. As Rice likes to say, “There’s something for everyone.” One image by Benjamin Heller details a strong owl flying...
Silver Gelatin
$687
H 24.02 in W 32.68 in D 0.04 in
Beach Lockers, Wildwood, New Jersey - American Coastal Color Photography
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Wildwood beach lockers captured on a glorious spring blue sky day. Taken in 2013 this picture was first executed in Richard's darkroom in April 2020. Colour is key in Richard's work ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
John and Yoko at the Dakota, 1980
By Allan Tannenbaum
Located in White Plains, NY
'John and Yoko at the Dakota,' 1980 by famed American photographer, Allan Tannenbaum. Silver gelatin print, 1982. 15 x 10 inch photo on 22 x 17 inch on t...
Silver Gelatin
$962
H 33.47 in W 33.47 in D 1.97 in
Fish and Chips Van Square, Haddenham - English Vintage Countryside Color Photo
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
A classic British fish & chips van, on a classic English day Haddenham Steam Rally Country Fair, photograph by Richard Heeps. This artwork is a limited edition of 25 gloss phot...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$4,000
H 11.25 in W 10.5 in
Chestnut Vendor, Depression by John Albok, 1933, Silver Gelatin Print
By John Albok
Located in Denton, TX
Chestnut Vendor, Depression by John Albok depicts a man selling chestnuts on the street. The man looks down at his hands as he cracks open the chestnut. To his left sits a bowl of ch...
Silver Gelatin
$825Sale Price|44% Off
H 20 in W 16 in
Large format vintage multiple exposure female nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph, multiple exposure female nude. Titled, numbered, dated, and signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Ar...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|40% Off
H 20 in W 16 in
Large format vintage multiple exposure male nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph, multiple exposure male nude. Titled, numbered, dated, and signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. Jack Mitchell's artist’s statement on this project: For five decades in New York City I photographed established and emerging creative and performing artists for major publications. The Numbered Nudes photographs are a development, and expansion, of my dance photography...
Silver Gelatin
$1,150
H 20.15 in W 23.75 in D 1 in
Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Tucson Arizona
By Huntington Witherill
Located in San Francisco, CA
This Photograph titled "Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Tucson Arizona" is a gelatin silver print by noted American photographer Huntington Witherill, born ...
Silver Gelatin
$1,200
H 40 in W 30 in
Teeing Off - silver gelatine print Oversize Golf
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Golfer teeing off circa 1939. (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts) Beautiful large silver gelatine print of an elegant looking golfer fashionably dressed teeing off during the late 1930...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|40% Off
H 20 in W 16 in
Large format vintage multiple exposure female nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph, multiple exposure female nude. Titled, numbered, dated, and signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Ar...
Silver Gelatin
Sold
H 19.25 in W 15.125 in
Night View, New York (aka New York at Night)
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Berenice Abbott learned photography from the artist Man Ray when she was his studio assistant in Paris in 1923-1925. It was in Paris where Man Ray introduced her to the work of Eugèn...
Silver Gelatin
Fulton Street Market, Manhattan Skyline
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in New York, NY
8 x 10 inch vintage gelatin silver print Artist stamps and pencil notations on verso
Silver Gelatin
Herald Square, 34th Street
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in New York, NY
15 x 19.5 inch gelatin silver print, printed circa 1980 Signed and editioned on mount recto #21/60
Silver Gelatin
Atget
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in Denton, TX
Signed.
Silver Gelatin
Designer's Window, Bleecker Street
By Berenice Abbott, 1898-1991
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on back of print with artist's stamp. Printed in the 1950's.
Silver Gelatin