Search Results: PHOTOGRAPHY from Downtown Brown Books, ABAA

Crannell, CA: Little River Redwood Company, 1930. Photograph. Fine. Fourteen 5-by-7-inch sepia-tone photographs documenting logging operations in a long-gone company town in the redwood forest north of Eureka, on the California coast. Two of the images show logging camps (Camps 7 and 8); one shows a logging railroad; the rest depict scenes in the forest during the handsaw era. These images are most often seen as postcards notifying buyers that their orders from Little River Redwood Company had been placed on railcars. These larger-format images are quite uncommon. The Little River Redwood Company began operation at Crannell about 1908 and continued until the 1950s. The town was razed in 1969. Logging operations in Crannell shut Two of the views show logging camps (Camps 7 and 8); a third shows a logging railroad. The images do not have a photographer's name; attribution to Dold and Dold based on cataloguing of images from this set hed at Humboldt State University, relying on information from the… Read More

San Francisco: Taber Photo, 1880. Ephemera. Near fine. An imperial plate (8-1/2 by 12-1/2 inches) portrait of Galen Clark holding a rifle and standing in front of one of the first famous trees from the Yosemite area. Watkins took this image in 1865 or 1866, during one of his extended trips to Yosemite. It was printed by Isaiah Taber from the original negative, after Taber took over Watkins's bankrupt photo studio. The Getty owns a copy of this image and it is very similar to one of Watkins's mammoth-plate images (Naef and Hult-Lewis, Carleton Watkins: The Complete Mammoth Photographs, no. 104). While it is generally known that Watkins regularly took his 18-by-22-inch mammoth glass-plate camera and a stereoview camera to Yosemite, the existence of imperial plate photographs suggests he took a third camera with him on his trips. Amy S. Doherty ("Carleton E. Watkins, Photographer: 1829-1916" in the Syracuse University Courier vol. 15, no. 4, 1978) proposed this idea based on an examination of a bound… Read More

Tokyo: Pacific Press Service (PPS), 1985. First Edition. Trade paperback. Near fine. 12 by 11-1/2 inches. About 80 pages. Catalog of an exhibition of Stieglitz's photographs held at Odakyu Gurando Gyarari, Tokyo, May 17 to June 5, 1985. With 36 black-and-white reproductions and a list of more than 100 images exhibited. Text in Japanese. OCLC locates six copies under three entries. First edition (first printing). Spine a bit faded, else near fine in wrappers (paperback), as issued.

1898. Ephemera. Near fine. A remarkable series of uniform images of Wykoff, Minnesota, taken in 1898, documenting 35 commercial buildings (plus two interior views), with the inhabitants standing in front of the structure. This series includes all but two buildings on the 100 block of North Gold Street, now on the National Register of Historic Places. The remaining views include churches, the public hall, free-standing wood-frame structures on adjacent streets, and more industrial buildings, like the livery and stables, a lumber yard, a wagon and carriage shop, a blacksmith shop, an unidentified four-story factory, etc. These images offer a seldom-seen view of the commercial buildings of a small town at the end of the 19th century and offer insight into the number, gender, ages of the owners, employees, and residents of the structures. Based on Wykoff's application to the National Register of Historic Places, this set of images includes 14 of the 16 buildings on the 100 block of North Gold Street,… Read More

New York: Dana, 1895. Ephemera. Very good. A head-and-shoulder's portrait of the novelist Amelia E. Barr (1831-1919), the author of some 80 books in the late 19th and early 20th century. Barr, née Huddleston, was born in Lancashire, England, and emigrated to the US in 1853. Her first novel was published in 1872. Image, roughly 4 by 5-3/4 inches, on a larger card mount. The back (verso) of the mount promotes the photography technique used, "Carbonette Our 1895 production." A very good contrast image, with dark charcoal tones. The mount has notes in color and regular pencil on the lower front margin as well as various notes on the back (verso).

[Tokyo]: Pacific Press Service, 1985. First Edition. Trade paperback. Near fine. Reproducing 173 of Kertész's photographs. This is the exhibition catalogue for a show in Japan organized by the International Center of Photography. There were a number of events around the world honoring the photographer in his ninetieth year. Text in Japanese, except for a short English note at the back. Not paginaged, but ca. 80 pages. First edition (first printing). A near fine copy. Signed by Kertész on the title page, with a snapshot photograph of him at the opening laid in.

Santa Fe, NM: Twin Palms Publishers, 2000. Later printing. Hardcover. Near fine. Includes a poem by W.S. Merwin and 64 four color plates. Third printing. Cover label irregularly faded, else a fine copy (not issued in a dust jacket). Signed by Robert ParkeHarrison and Shana ParkeHarrison on the title page. Scarce signed.

Brooklyn: Black Photographers Annual, 1974. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. The second of four volumes seeking to define "a new Blackness, real and strong as our history, pushing consciousness toward a new place" through photography (quoted from the first volume). At the time Joe Crawford started this series, African American photographers had been almost completely left out of the photographic literature. See the essay by Carla Williams in Aperture 223 for a short study of the place of these "annuals" (which were issued several years apart) in photographic history. This volume reproduces with well-printed halftones the images of 51 black photographers from the US, England, and Canada. Contributors include Roy DeCarava, James Van DerZee, Ming Smith, St. Clair Bourne, and Chuck Stewart. Three photographers, P. H. Polk, Jimmie Manns, and Ted Gray, are given portfolios of several images, with a biographical introduction. Gray offers one of the most compelling and disturbing images in the book.… Read More

Edinburgh: Ross & Pringle, 1870. Ephemera. Very good. A commercial studio portrait of two Newhaven fish wives, the women who gutted and prepared fish and hauled the results to market in the village of Newhaven, just north of Edinburgh. The fish women were popular subjects for painters and photographers because of their distinctive vertically striped dresses. This image shows one woman offering a platter of fish to another woman, who is holding a fish in both hands, closely inspecting one of them. A basket of fish is on the ground between them. The photographers Ross & Pringle operated as a partnership from 1867 to 1875 at the 114 George Street address printed on the back (verso) of the mount (per the Edinphoto website). Occupational carte de visite photograph; image, 2-3/16 by 3-11/16 inches. Thin card mount, 2-7/16 by 4-3/16 inches, with photographer's mark on the back. Caption stamped below image on front (recto) of mount. A very good image with a bit of spotting in the print. Good contrast… Read More

New York: JMc & GHB Editions, 2008. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. This is one of 100 signed copies of this photobook combining excerpts from Frey's novel, Bright Shiny Morning, with reproductions of three selections of photographs by Richardson of women, cars, and gang members. The front and back dust jacket images are by the artist Richard Prince. This book was a project conceived by John McWhinnie when he was at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, in New York. There were 1000 trade paperbacks, 900 hardcovers, 100 signed hardcovers in a slipcase, and 31 with prints and photos. 102 pages. 8-3/4 by 11-1/4 inches. First edition (first printing). A fine copy in a fine dust jacket and fine slipcase. This is copy 24 of 100, signed by Frey, Richardson, and Prince on the title page.

Santa Fe: Twin Palms, 1998. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine/Near fine. Black and white gravure photographs of youth culture in Brooklyn in the late 1950's. One of four thousand casebound copies. 100 pages. 10 by 11-1/4 inches. First edition (first printing stated). A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Bottom edge dented; there is a bit of creasing in the upper margin of the last 12 or so pages (all text, no images), probably a production flaw and the dust jacket has some shelf wear, mostly on the back panel.

Leslie, Fife: W. T. Turner, 1870. Ephemera. Near fine. A portrait of two unidentified women holding strands of yarn. They are wearing distinctive uniforms of thick gathered skirt over a second, stiff, horizontally pleated skirt; a tunic over a blouse, and a flat cloth head covering that seems to tie in a large bow around their necks. On the back (verso) of the mount someone has written in pencil, "Wool Bleachers in Scotland." Based on the location of the photographer and other photographs of 19th century bleachworks, it seems more likely that these women worked in a linen factory. A scarce image of women workers in the third quarter of the 19th century. Occupational carte de visite photograph; image, 2-3/8 by 3-9/16 inches. Thin card mount, 2-1/2 by 4 inches, with photographer's printed mark on the back. Near fine. Medium contrast image.

Manila, Philippines: Centro Artístico Fotográfico, [late 19th century]. Very good. This is a cabinet card portrait of eight US army soldiers probably taken about the turn of the 20th century during the Spanish American war (the US occupied Manila in 1898). The well-composed albumen print is on a card mount with the Centro Artístico Fotográfico logo and "Manila" stamped in gilt. The verso of the mount is printed with "Fotografía Española" and the address "Escolta 9, Manila." A number of 19th century photographers had studios on that street. Enrique Maria Barretto e Ycaza (1850-1919) was born in Manila to a Portuguese trading family that arrived in the Philippines by way of India, Macau, and Hong Kong. He was an entrepreneur, opening an ice plant, a photography studio, and the first brewery in the Philippines (Fábrica de Cerveza de San Miguel). 5-5/8 by 3-15/16 inches (image) on gilt-edge mount measuring 6-1/2 by 4-1/8 inches. The image is quite nice, with good focus and tonal range. The… Read More

Detroit: Randall, Photographer, 1881. Ephemera. Very good. A full-length cabinet card portrait of Sojourner Truth with the caption, "I sell the shadow to support the substance." This is one of Truth's last portraits, taken when she was in her eighties and purchased in bulk to sell at events, hence the caption. During the Civil War, Truth took the unusual step of acquiring the copyright to her portrait, giving her control over both the distribution of her image and the money it generated. The verso (back) of the mount of this photograph includes Truth's copyright statement. Truth (1797-1883), born Isabella Baumfree, was one of the best-known abolitionists and women's rights advocates of the 19th century. She traveled the country for decades giving talks and attending conferences, selling her photographs-her "shadow"-as a primary means of support. The art professor Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby has published an extensive study of Truth's photographs (Enduring Truths, 2015). Based on Grigsby's research into… Read More

[Constantinople (Istanbul)]: [Probably Sébah and Joaillier], 1890. Perhaps the most well-known image from the photographer Pascal Sébah or his son Jean, a view outside a Turkish coffee shop of a group of men drinking coffee and smoking. At the center of the image is a seated man with a white beard holding a cup in one hand and the hose of a hookah in the other. A waiter holds a glass-bottomed hookah for him. More men sit on either side of the central figure. However, it is a man on the far right of the image, staring fiercely at the camera, a pipe in his mouth, that adds drama to the scene, returning the gaze of the viewer. This man and the waiter, who are in front of the main row of men, also add a nice compositional element, dividing the foreground from the background (a second image taken on the same day-based on the foliage and the shape of the knot of rope on the cafe wall-lacks these two elements and it is much less successful from an artistic perspective). Adding further interest to the… Read More

1980. An original black-and-white gelatin silver print photograph of Audre Lorde speaking, pictured in three-quarters profile. Lorde (1934-1992) is an influential and popular writer, a self-described, "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet." The image is inscribed on the back (verso) and signed "Audrey Lorde." Printed on 8 by 10 inch Kodak paper, with the image slightly smaller. The photographer is not identified. The photograph is fine; the signature is a bit faint and hard to read. It says "For ___-and his ___ Audrey Lorde.

New York: Sarony, 1890. Ephemera. Very good. A mounted photograph of the Spanish dancer Carmencita, who was a popular entertainer in New York from 1889 to 1895. She posed for portraits by John Singer Sargent and WIlliam Merritt Chase. In 1894, Thomas Edison asked her to dance in front of his new motion picture camera. According to the Library of Congress's web page showing a digital version of the film, "Spanish dancer Carmencita was the first woman to appear in front of an Edison motion picture camera," making her likely to be the first woman on film in the US. In 1895, she returned to Europe where she toured for a time before she married a wealthy Russian who either committed suicide or was murdered by Carmencita after he lost his fortune gambling. Carmencita returned to dancing and toured the US in the early 1910s, where her press agents were happy to talk up her husband's demise in the newspapers. Albumen print, 3-7/8 by 5-1/2 inches, on a light brown mount with a rust-colored border and… Read More

Bellingham, WA: True North Editions, 2021. Second Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. A monograph devoted to Owens' photographs of cars, mostly black and white, but with a handful of color images. Owens is perhaps best known for his photobook Suburbia. This second edition followed a limited edition of 100 copies published in 2015. 141 pages. 8-3/4 by 11-1/8 inches. Bottom corner bumped, else a fine copy in illustrated boards (not issued in a dust jacket. Signed by Owens on the front free endpaper.

[Kandy, Sri Lanka]: [Scowen & Co.], 1880. Ephemera. Very good. A large-format occupational albumen photograph of two Sinhalese brassworkers, probably by Scowen, the most active photographer in Sri Lanka at the time. The image shows a man wearing a sarong seated on the floor with a large brass platter on his lap and a hammer and chisel in his hands. A boy, also wearing a sarong, stands to the side showing a finished platter to the camera; he holds a hammer in his other hand. Ornamental brass work was an important 19th century Sri Lankan craft. This is likely a posed studio portrait, as the background seems to include agricultural and floral motifs typically used for photography backdrops. On the left side of the image is a narrow dark triangle, perhaps indicating a damaged negative (the other print of this image that I have seen had the same feature; it was captioned "Kandy Brass Workers" on the mount. Image: 8-1/2 by 10-7/8 inches; thin double-ply cardstock mount slightly larger, captioned in… Read More

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Photographia do Commercio, 1890. A group of six carte-de-visite format albumen prints, likely dating from the 1890s. The subjects are all Afro-Brazilians posed standing with their right arm resting on a piece of furniture (a table, a chair, a pedestal). Five of the six images have printed backs identifying them as originating from Photographia do Commercio, Rua da Carioca, no. 40, Rio de Janeiro. These printed backs are in two styles, both similar but one is smaller than the other. The sixth image has no identifying information, but the distinctive pattern of the cloth on the table visible in the image places it in the same photo studio. Wilhelm Gaensby (1843-1928) emigrated to Brazil from Switzerland with his parents when he was five, in 1848. He learned photography from Alberto Henschel and opened his own studio in Salvador in 1875. About 1893, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, keeping his original studio in operation. A number of albums of Gaensby's landscape and scenic… Read More