Berenice Abbott

Which art books, prints and posters are available by and about this artist? Here is a sample of items of interest to a typical collector:

Book images

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An American Photographer, Ltd Edition

Art Press

1982

with:

Edition:

1st numbered 308/400

Edition size:

400

Signed

Out of Print

Other edition(s):

Boards in clamshell

ISBN:

Condition: Near Fine

An American Photographer, Ltd Edition

1982

Art Press

Out of Print

Signed

Edition:

1st numbered 308/400

Prior edition(s):

Boards in clamshell

Condition: Near Fine

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Berenice Abbott

Steidl

2008

with:

Edition:

1st

Edition size:

Out of Print

Other edition(s):

Two boards in slipcase

ISBN:

9783865215925

Condition: Near Fine -

Berenice Abbott

2008

Steidl

Out of Print

Signed

Edition:

1st

Prior edition(s):

Two boards in slipcase

Condition: Near Fine -

Book images

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Changing New york

E.P. Dutton

1939

with:

Edition:

1st

Edition size:

Out of Print

Other edition(s):

Hardcover with dust jacket

ISBN:

Condition: Very Good / Good

Changing New york

1939

E.P. Dutton

Out of Print

Signed

Edition:

1st

Prior edition(s):

Hardcover with dust jacket

Condition: Very Good / Good

Book images

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The Unknown Berenice Abbott

Steidl

2013

with:

Edition:

1st

Edition size:

Out of Print

Other edition(s):

Five boards in slipcase

ISBN:

9783869306506

Condition: Fine

The Unknown Berenice Abbott

2013

Steidl

Out of Print

Signed

Edition:

1st

Prior edition(s):

Five boards in slipcase

Condition: Fine

Print images

Icon used when no picture of the print is available

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

NYC Trolly, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, 1937

Edition:

Uneditioned

Signed on the mount's recto below the print. Stamped on the mat's verso with Abbott's copyright.

Year of work:

1937

Image size:

349 x 268 mm

Print size:

349 x 268 mm

Printed in

Framed size:

508 x 406 mm

Provenance:

Artist

Gelatin silver print, printed in the 1980s.

Condition:

Fine

The photograph is part of Abbott's most famous body of work, "Changing New York" (also known as "Federal Art Project: Changing New York"), which she undertook with the support of the Works Progress Administration from 1935 to 1939. This project aimed to document the dramatic architectural and social transformation of New York City during the Great Depression.

Literature and Collections:

Berenice Abbott, Changing New York, 1939

NYC Trolly, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, 1937

Icon to idincate that no image of the print is available

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

edition:

Uneditioned

Sold Out

Signed on the mount's recto below the print. Stamped on the mat's verso with Abbott's copyright.

Image size:

349 x 268 mm

Year of work:

1937

Print images

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

Ferry: West 23rd Street, Manhattan

Edition:

Titled and dated in pencil, and with Abbott's Changing New York stamp, verso

Year of work:

1935

Image size:

Print size:

203 x 253 mm

Printed in

Framed size:

Provenance:

Berenice Abbott

Gelatin silver print

Condition:

Overall good condition. Silver mirroring to extreme edges of the sheet.

Literature and Collections:

Ferry: West 23rd Street, Manhattan

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

edition:

Sold Out

Titled and dated in pencil, and with Abbott's Changing New York stamp, verso

Image size:

Year of work:

1935

Print images

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery Between Grand and Hester Streets, October 24, 1935.

Edition:

3/500

Signed and editioned 3/500 in pencil on mount's recto. Photographer's stamp on mount's verso

Year of work:

1935

Image size:

182 x 238 mm (Full bleed)

Print size:

Printed in

Framed size:

Dry mounted 296 x 330 mm

Provenance:

Berenice Abbott

Gelatin silver print, printed later.

Condition:

Very good. Some areas of retouching only visible upon very close inspection.

Literature and Collections:

B. Abbott, Changing New York, New York, 1939 (and future reprints in 1997 and onwards).

Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery Between Grand and Hester Streets, October 24, 1935.

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

edition:

3/500

Sold Out

Signed and editioned 3/500 in pencil on mount's recto. Photographer's stamp on mount's verso

Image size:

182 x 238 mm (Full bleed)

Year of work:

1935

Print images

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

Pingpank Barber Shop, 1938

Edition:

16/60

Numbered and signed in pencil along the lower margin's print recto, with the portfolio ink stamp on the mount verso

Year of work:

1938

Image size:

Print size:

487 x 387 mm

Printed in

1979

Framed size:

Mounted to a board 767 x 607 mm

Provenance:

Abbott

Gelatin silver print

Condition:

Very good

The photograph is part of Abbott's landmark Depression-era project “Changing New York. In this close-up view of a simple shopkeeper’s window in New York City, Abbott composed an image that recalls in its composition and subject matter the work of her aesthetic hero, the French documentarian Eugène Atget. The slightly oblique composition delicately balances words and images, inside and outside, past and present. August Pingpank was eighty-seven when Abbott photographed his storefront at 413 Bleecker Street. He was one of the oldest barbers in the city and lamented to the Federal Art Project workers assisting Abbott that he would soon have to retire due to the invention of the safety razor: “It’s different now with the men shaving themselves every morning at home.”

Literature and Collections:

Pingpank Barber Shop, 1938

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

edition:

16/60

Sold Out

Numbered and signed in pencil along the lower margin's print recto, with the portfolio ink stamp on the mount verso

Image size:

Year of work:

1938

Print images

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

Church of God, 25 West 132nd, Harlem

Edition:

Signed in pencil, mount recto. Photographer's stamp, mount verso

Year of work:

1936

Image size:

Print size:

38.7 x 48.3 cm

Printed in

1979

Framed size:

Provenance:

Parasol Press printing proof.

Gelatin silver print

Condition:

Overall excellent condition. Minor dry mounting tissue adhesive remnants visible along extreme edges of the sheet. Window mat has some undulations but does not affect the image.

Unnumbered example from the 1979 printing of the Parasol Press portfolio Berenice Abbott's New York. Al Williams worked with Berenice Abbott and Todd Watts on the printing of the portfolio from the original glass negatives held by the Museum of the City of New York

Literature and Collections:

Berenice Abbott, An American Photographer, Art Press, 1982, p146.
Additional impressions of this work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; the Museum of the City of New York, New York; the Syracuse University Art Museum, Syracuse, New York; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; and the New York Public Library, New York.

Church of God, 25 West 132nd, Harlem

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

edition:

Sold Out

Signed in pencil, mount recto. Photographer's stamp, mount verso

Image size:

Year of work:

1936

Print images

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

Brownstone Front and Sky, 4 East 78th Street, 1938, Vintage Print

Edition:

Uneditioned

With Abbott's signature in pencil on the print's verso with her Federal Art Project "Changing New York" stamps with the title, location, negative number, date, and additional notations also in pencil in an unknown hand, on verso; in a mat with Abbott's signature again in pencil, on the overmat and unknown annotations on the back of the mat..

Year of work:

1938

Image size:

250 x 203 mm on full bleed paper

Print size:

Printed in

Framed size:

430 x 355 mm on matted board.

Provenance:

Berenice abbott (earlier printing)

Silver contact vintage print, likely printed in the 1940s.

Condition:

Very good for a vintage print with some indentations to the print's edges.

Literature and Collections:

Brownstone Front and Sky, 4 East 78th Street, 1938, Vintage Print

Berenice Abbott

or applicable right holders.

edition:

Uneditioned

Sold Out

Image size:

250 x 203 mm on full bleed paper

Year of work:

1938

No items found.

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Berenice Abbott, American (1898–1991)

Abbott was a pioneering American photographer renowned for her compelling documentation of urban life, particularly in New York City during the 1930s. Her work is celebrated for its clarity, precision, and insightful portrayal of the evolving architectural landscape.

Born in Springfield, Ohio, Abbott briefly attended Ohio State University before moving to New York City in 1918 to study sculpture. In 1921, she relocated to Paris, where she worked as a darkroom assistant to Man Ray. This experience ignited her passion for photography, leading her to establish her own studio and capture portraits of prominent cultural figures such as James Joyce and Jean Cocteau.

Abbott played a crucial role in preserving the legacy of French photographer Eugène Atget. After his death in 1927, she acquired a significant portion of his negatives and prints, tirelessly promoting his work and ensuring its recognition in the photographic canon.

Returning to New York in 1929, Abbott was struck by the city's rapid transformation. She embarked on a project to document these changes, culminating in the acclaimed series "Changing New York," published in 1939. This body of work offers a vivid portrayal of the city's architectural evolution during a period of significant growth and modernization.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Abbott turned her attention to scientific photography, collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create images that visually explained complex physical phenomena. Her innovative approach made science more accessible to the public and demonstrated the educational potential of photography.

Throughout her career, Abbott was a staunch advocate for straight photography, emphasizing realism and clarity over artistic manipulation. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, including major exhibitions at leading institutions. Abbott's enduring legacy lies in her ability to capture the essence of a rapidly changing world with honesty and precision.

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