Our next Design auction on July 13 will include a dedicated section devoted to photography. Providing the impetus to the new focus is the consignment of a very fine collection of photographs by important 20th century American and European photographers.
The single owner collection of thirty prints, amassed by an American gentleman based in Cambridgeshire during the last decade, comprises works by some of the best known photographers of the past century including Americans Ansel Adams (1902-84), Imogen Cunningham (1883-1984) and Paul Outerbridge (1896-1958) and French masters Dora Maar (1907-97), Robert Doisneau (1912-94) and Édouard Boubat (1923-99).
Many of the works betray an interest in photojournalism and in particular the sensitive images of deprivation and social inequality in the US and Europe that proved so influential in the years before and after the Second World War.
Focused on the issue of migratory labourers, hired to pick fruit and vegetables in wartime America, are silver gelatin prints Ansel Adams’ Trailer Camp Children, Richmond, California, 1944 and Marion Post Wolcott's Card game of African-American Day Labourers, Belle Glade, Florida, 1941. Both carry estimates of £2,000-3,000 each.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984)
Trailer Camp Children, Richmond, California, 1944
gelatin silver print laid on card, signed in pencil on card, with Carmel studio stamp on verso, printed c. 1974,
24 x 33.8cm
£2,000 - 3,000
Equally powerful is Dora Maar’s Barcelona street urchin, 1932 (estimate £1,000-1,500) and Édouard Boubat’s Place Maubert, Paris, 1952 (estimate £1,500-2,000).
Édouard Boubat (French, 1923-1999)
Place Maubert, Paris, 1952,
silver gelatin print, printed later c. 1970, signed in ink, signed, titled and dated verso,
34 x 23.5cm
£1,500 - 2,000
One of Mary Ellen Mark’s breakthrough images was Beautiful Emine Posing, Trabzon, Turkey - her famous shot of a girl in simple, childish clothing assuming a fashion model's pose and knowing expression taken in 1965 when she was visiting the Bosphorus as a Fulbright Fellow. “It's obviously a very seductive gesture,” she said of the girl's stance. “She's almost a woman.” Used in the first of her 18 photo books, this print is guided at £1,000-1,500.
Mary Ellen Mark (American, 1940-2015)
Beautiful Emine Posing, Trabzon, Turkey, 1965
gelatin print
29 x 19cm
£1,000 - 1,500
Should you wish to enter similar photographs or photographic collections for sale, we would be very interested to hear from you.
For valuations and consignments, please contact:
John Black
johnblack@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778
Entries close Friday 28 May.
Sworders x IAP Fine Art are proud to present ‘Reflections from a Film’, a special selling exhibition of paintings by the late British artist Chris Gollon (1953–2017), running from 5 – 22 August 2025 at Sworders London Gallery, 15 Cecil Court, WC2N 4EZ.
21 July 2025
Sworders' Paint, Print, Sculpt sale on July 15 featured a remarkable selection of artist-signed prints from the now-discontinued Kent Visual Arts Loan Scheme, raising over £40,000 for Kent County Council - with standout results for Edward Bawden, Julian Trevelyan, and Monica Poole.
17 July 2025
On Saturday 5 July, Sworders was delighted to support St Mary’s Church, Matching, by hosting a special Valuation Day in aid of their much-needed restoration appeal. Set in the heart of the Essex countryside, the event welcomed a steady stream of visitors, each bringing with them an eclectic mix of heirlooms, antiques, and curiosities. Valuations were offered at £10 for up to five items, with all proceeds donated directly to the church’s restoration fund.
16 July 2025