Lot 21
Francis "Frank" Meadow Sutcliffe (English, 1853-1941). People on a Street of Whitby. Albumen print, ca. 1889. Photographer's monogram and inventory number "535" in lower left corner in the negative. Ginny Williams Collection label on verso of matte. From the renowned collection of Ginny Williams (American, 1927-2019), an orotone albumen print by pioneering photographer Francis Meadow Sutcliffe displaying a group of people engaged in conversation on a street in Whitby on the Yorkshire Coast of England in 1889. The dynamically framed scene of daily life on the English seaside is emblematic of Sutcliffe, whose work presented an enduring record of life in Whitby in the late Victorian Era. Size of albumen: 4.9" W x 7.75" H (12.4 cm x 19.7 cm) Size of matte: 13.6" W x 16.5" H (34.5 cm x 41.9 cm)
According to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., "Frank Meadow Sutcliffe's father was a painter, printmaker, and an amateur photographer. Frank began to photograph when the family moved to Whitby, Yorkshire, in 1871. He first worked for Francis Frith; in 1875 he opened his own portrait studio. In his spare time he walked around Whitby, photographing people, scenes, and landscapes, attempting to develop an unmannered, natural style. Between 1881 and 1905 Sutcliffe won sixty-two medals at international exhibitions. He had an arrangement with Kodak to try out the latest model cameras; Kodak had the option of using any picture he had taken with their apparatus for their own purposes. Sutcliffe wrote the 'Photography Notes' column for the Yorkshire Weekly Post from 1908 to 1930, and contributed articles to Amateur Photographer as well as other non-photographic magazines. Late in his life Sutcliffe was asked by the council of the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society to become the curator of the Whitby Gallery and Museum, a position he held until his death at the age of eighty-seven."
This photograph was in the collection of pioneering patron of the arts, Ginny Williams. Sotheby's hosted a series of auctions featuring art and photography in the Ginny Williams Collection in June and July of 2020. Their press release began as follows, "Born in rural Virginia in 1927, Ginny moved to Denver, Colorado in the late 1950s with her husband, Carl Williams. An avid photographer herself, who studied with Austrian-American photojournalist and photographer Ernst Haas, her collecting journey began with classical figurative photography. Her passion and keen eye eventually prompted her to open her namesake gallery in Denver in the 1980s. While her passion for photography never waned, remaining a primary focus of both her gallery and private collection, her voracious curiosity quickly widened her curatorial focus. Over time, Ginny became increasingly courageous and experimental in her selections, venturing into Abstract Expressionism and Contemporary Art and following her artists themselves through gallery shows and museum exhibitions. As the years passed, Ginny became as much of a trailblazer as the artists she collected."
The same albumen print hammered for 823 British pound sterling (equivalent to $1,299) at Christie's London as 1 of 3 albumens in lot 29 on November 19th, 2002 (Live Auction 9509). It has also been collected by the Preus Museum in Horten Norway (NMFF.002758).
Provenance: private Idledale, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Ginny Williams collection, Denver, Colorado, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#174098
- Condition: Photographer's monogram and inventory number "535" in lower left corner in the negative. Ginny Williams Collection Label on verso of matte. About 0.7 inch tear to top periphery that does not effect main focus of image. Slight bending to peripheries and light wrinkling to top. Attached to paper backing and fit with custom matte. Some light smudges to matte but albumen print is in good condition with imagery still very clear.
Accepted Forms of Payment:
American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Shipping
Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense
Artemis Fine Arts
You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 26.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.
View full terms and conditions
| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |