Alfred Stieglitz - Photographs New York Wednesday, April 6, 2022 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Collection of James Borcoman
    By descent to the present owner

  • Literature

    Stieglitz, 291, September-October 1915
    Camera Work, Number 36, October 1911, p. 39
    Greenough, Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set, Volume One, cat. no. 310
    Bulfinch Press, Alfred Stieglitz, pl. 18
    Margolis, Alfred Stieglitz, Camera Work: A Pictorial Guide, p. 100
    Norman, Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer, pl. XVI
    The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Alfred Stieglitz: Photographer, pl. 8
    Green, A Critical History of American Photography, p. 195
    Taschen, 20th Century Photography: Museum Ludwig Cologne, p. 673
    Taschen, Photo Icons: The Story Behind the Pictures, Volume 1, p. 135
    Whelan, Alfred Stieglitz: A Biography, Photography, Georgia O'Keeffe, and the Rise of the Avant-Garde in America, n.p.

  • Catalogue Essay

    This large-format photogravure, and the issue of 291 in which it was originally issued, come from the collection of the eminent curator James Borcoman (1926-2019). Borcoman’s role in incorporating photography into Canadian museums was an early and crucial one. He founded the Photographs Collection at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa in 1967, the first of its kind in Canada, and nurtured its growth to over 19,000 objects, resulting in a collection that has achieved a reputation both for the quality of its Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century holdings and for the excellence of its exhibitions and publications.

    During a career that covered thirty-four years at the National Gallery, Borcoman (1926-2019) held a variety of positions, including Director of Exhibitions and Education, Head of Publications, Senior Curator of Photographs from 1971, and Chairperson of the Prints, Drawings and Photographs Collections. While at the National Gallery he was responsible for 47 exhibitions. Among Borcoman's numerous monographs and articles are Eugene Atget, 1857-1927 (1982); Karsh: The Art of the Portrait (1989); Magicians of Light: Photographs from the Collection of the National Gallery of Canada (1993); and Charles Nègre, 1820-1880 (1976), for which he received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Photographic Historical Society of New York and a bronze medal from the Leipzig International Book Fair.

    Borcoman was awarded the Order of Canada 2014 and honorary doctorates from Concordia University in Montreal and Carleton in Ottawa for his contributions to the art of photography in Canada including launching the careers of many photographers. Upon his retirement, he was made the only Curator Emeritus at the National Gallery of Canada. He continued researching and writing books and essays on the history of photography into his late 80s.

235

The Steerage

1907
Large-format photogravure on vellum, as issued within 291 Nos. 7-8 (New York, September-October 1915), folio.
The photogravure 13 x 10 3/8 in. (33 x 26.4 cm)

Estimate
$12,000 - 18,000 

Sold for $15,120

Contact Specialist

Sarah Krueger
Head of Department, Photographs
skrueger@phillips.com


Vanessa Hallett
Worldwide Head of Photographs and Chairwoman, Americas
vhallett@phillips.com

Photographs

New York Auction 6 April 2022