The twenty-one mounted photographs in this lot comprise a unique maquette provided by Dave Heath to Contemporary Photographer magazine in which they were published, exactly as prescribed by Heath, in the Winter 1964 issue. Heath’s layout of the photographs on twelve mounts is meticulous, as is his sequencing. He indicated full bleeds (illustrations extending to the edges of a page) for four images, and partial bleeds for several others; he intentionally inserted blank pages into the sequence; and the size and position of each image on a spread was precisely calibrated. While the maquette was designed for reproduction, the original objects give insight into Heath’s talents, not only as a photographer and printer, but as an editor and designer.
In 1963, Heath received a Guggenheim Fellowship—another would follow in 1964—which freed him to pursue his photographic work. This maquette of images all made in 1963 is a direct result of this, as indicated by the printed label on the first spread of the layout which reads, From ‘The Human Condition,’ A Guggenheim Fellowship Project. This was also the title of a limited edition portfolio Heath produced during this period which includes a nearly identical selection of images.
Editing and sequencing had been Heath’s practice since his earliest involvement with photography in the 1950s. Inspired by the layouts he saw in LIFE and other picture magazines of the day, Heath produced several sophisticated maquettes in book form. In the suite offered here, he creates a poetic non-linear photographic narrative including a number of his well-known images as well as his portrait of teacher and mentor W. Eugene Smith. The photograph on the maquette’s final spread is paired with a printed quote by James Agee. This maquette, and its appearance in Contemporary Photographer, predates Heath’s seminal first book, A Dialogue With Solitude, published in 1965.
Contemporary Photographer magazine, published in Oberlin, Ohio, from 1960 to 1970, showcased the work of photographers as varied as Robert Capa, Ray K. Metzker, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Duane Michals, Carl Chiarenza, and Jerry Uelsmann, among many others. That the magazine would surrender layout control to a young and relatively unknown photographer such as Heath is remarkable. Heath’s note to the magazine’s art director, Margaret Powell, outlines his precise instructions: ‘Margaret: Mechanical is based on an 8 3/8” by 7” page. This is allowing for trim on an 8 1/2” cover width. A 1/8” excess is allowed on all bleed sides based on the 8 3/8” measurement. Please base your mechanical on these measurements for all lateral placements. Thanks, Dave.’ The magazine’s published layout adheres precisely to these details, preserving all the nuance, rhythm, and poetry of Heath’s conception.