Sol Libsohn Sold at Auction Prices

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001) Chelsea Florist. Circa 1940s.

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001) Chelsea Florist. Circa 1940s. Silver print, the image measuring 13⅜x9¾ inches (34x24.8 cm.), with Libsohn's stamp on verso. Provenance Acquired from Sol Libsohn's daughter; to a Private Collection, New Jersey Sol Libsohn co-founded the Photo League with Sid Grossman in 1936. A self-taught photographer, Libsohn became a teacher at the League's school, and was employed by Roy Stryker for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey project as well as the Federal Art Project. Elegant and impactful, Libsohn's imagery records both the urban built environment and its inhabitants with care and attention. The Photo League was a cooperative of amateur and professional photographers for whom socially conscious photography was a powerful and expressive tool to both document and explore the human condition. Without espousing a particular aesthetic, the Photo League's members created imagery that was informed by both interest in and interrogation of documentary techniques, as well as a sharp aesthetic perspective. Over the course of 15 short by intense years, which saw the end of the Great Depression, WWII, and political transformation, the leftist and radical Leage elevated and interrogated social realism, the role of the photographer, pushed street photography to new levels, while simultaneously contributing significantly to advocating for photography as an art form. The group had its origins in the Film and Photo League, an offshoot of Workers International Relief, which was an organization that supplied the left-wing press with images of working-class life. The filmmakers, under Paul Strand, eventually formed the production company Frontier Films. The photographers, led by Sid Grossman and Sol Libsohn, founded the Photo League in 1936 (Berenice Abbott and Strand named the group). Initially operating out of a loft on East 21st Street, the Photo League provided members with low-cost darkroom facilities and technical instruction. The League also published a newsletter called Photo Notes, offered courses in photographic history, sponsored lectures, and organized social activities such as "Photo Hunts" and "Crazy Camera Balls." In addition to the photographs represented here, the group included or was supported by photographers such as Ruth Orkin, Louis Stettner, Margaret Bourke-White, Aaron Siskind, Arthur Leipzig, Ruth Orkin, W. Eugene Smith, Arthur Rothstein, Richard Avedon, Weegee, Robert Frank, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and many more. In 1947, the League was blacklisted under McCarthyism, for its alleged involvement with the Communist Party. Despite support by prominent photographers, a passionate issue of Photo Notes, and an exhibition This is the Photo League, the group could not overcome the powerful sweep of the Red Scare and was forced to disband in 1951.

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001) Domonick Foti Wholesale Fruit.

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001) Domonick Foti Wholesale Fruit. Silver print, the image measuring 13x9⅜ inches (33x23.8 cm.), with Libsohn's Estate stamp on verso. Circa 1940s-50s; printed 1970s Provenance: Acquired from Sol Libsohn's daughter; to a Private Collection, New Jersey Sol Libsohn co-founded the Photo League with Sid Grossman in 1936. A self-taught photographer, Libsohn became a teacher at the League's school, and was employed by Roy Stryker for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey project as well as the Federal Art Project. Elegant and impactful, Libsohn's imagery records both the urban built environment and its inhabitants with care and attention. The Photo League was a cooperative of amateur and professional photographers for whom socially conscious photography was a powerful and expressive tool to both document and explore the human condition. Without espousing a particular aesthetic, the Photo League's members created imagery that was informed by both interest in and interrogation of documentary techniques, as well as a sharp aesthetic perspective. Over the course of 15 short by intense years, which saw the end of the Great Depression, WWII, and political transformation, the leftist and radical Leage elevated and interrogated social realism, the role of the photographer, pushed street photography to new levels, while simultaneously contributing significantly to advocating for photography as an art form. The group had its origins in the Film and Photo League, an offshoot of Workers International Relief, which was an organization that supplied the left-wing press with images of working-class life. The filmmakers, under Paul Strand, eventually formed the production company Frontier Films. The photographers, led by Sid Grossman and Sol Libsohn, founded the Photo League in 1936 (Berenice Abbott and Strand named the group). Initially operating out of a loft on East 21st Street, the Photo League provided members with low-cost darkroom facilities and technical instruction. The League also published a newsletter called Photo Notes, offered courses in photographic history, sponsored lectures, and organized social activities such as "Photo Hunts" and "Crazy Camera Balls." In addition to the photographs represented here (see lots 73, 75, 78, 83, 84, 85), the group included or was supported by photographers such as Ruth Orkin, Louis Stettner, Margaret Bourke-White, Aaron Siskind, Arthur Leipzig, Ruth Orkin, W. Eugene Smith, Arthur Rothstein, Richard Avedon, Weegee, Robert Frank, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and many more. In 1947, the League was blacklisted under McCarthyism, for its alleged involvement with the Communist Party. Despite support by prominent photographers, a passionate issue of Photo Notes, and an exhibition This is the Photo League, the group could not overcome the powerful sweep of the Red Scare and was forced to disband in 1951.

SOL LIBSOHN, "WORKERS", GELATIN SILVER PRINT

Sol Libsohn (American 1914-2001), 1936, "Workers", gelatin silver print, depicting a working farmer and horse, signed and dated en verso, with silver metal frame. Approximate measurements: actual h. 13", w. 8. 875"; frame h. 19", w. 14. 875", d. 0. 75"

SOL LIBSOHN, BLACK WORKERS PUSH A LOADED CART.

SOL LIBSOHN, BLACK WORKERS PUSH A LOADED CART Vintage 8 x 10 inch warm toned gelatin silver print. Double stamped, on single weight paper. Crease in the sky at the upper left and some other slight creases that don’t detract from the power of the image.

SOL LIBSOHN, A RAILROAD WORKER HOSING A HOT WHEEL, MAKING STEAM.

SOL LIBSOHN, A RAILROAD WORKER HOSING A HOT WHEEL, MAKING STEAM. Vintage 10 x 8 inch warm toned gelatin silver print, stamped

SOL LIBSOHN, HOMELESS WOMAN IN TATTERED CLOTHES ASLEEP ON A STOOP.

SOL LIBSOHN, HOMELESS WOMAN IN TATTERED CLOTHES ASLEEP ON A STOOP. Vintage 10 x 8 inch warm toned gelatin silver print, stamped.

SOL LIBSOHN. COLLECTING WOOD BENEATH THE BRIDGE. VINTAGE PRINT, STAMPED

SOL LIBSOHN. COLLECTING WOOD BENEATH THE BRIDGE. VINTAGE PRINT, STAMPED Vintage 10 x 8 inch warm toned gelatin silver print, stamped. This and the prints by Libsohn in the following lots are true vintage. The heirs later applied the Estate stamps.

SOL LIBSOHN Delightful Vintage Print Photo League

SOL LIBSOHN, Feet of Sleeping Truck Driver, 1945, 10.5x10.375" Gelatin silver print, Printed 1945, Signed in ink and pencil on mount verso; photographer's address stamp; miscellaneous annotations in ink and red and grey pencil. Sol Libsohn, a co-founder of the Photo League, displays his brilliance for humor and composition in this view of a truck driver's feet out the window of his parked vehicle as he sleeps. Social documentary at its best. Sol Libsohn (1914-2001) was born in New York and began photographing when a neighbor gave him a Kodak Brownie camera. After attending City College, he went to work for the Works Progress Administration as an artist's model for muralists, but he was soon drafted to record images of New Yorkers coping with hard times. In 1936 his experiences in the W.P.A. led him and others to form the Photo League. During World War II, Libsohn joined a team of photographers at Standard Oil Company of New Jersey on a documentary project, "There is a drop of oil in the life of everyone." He also made "The Trucking Story," a series documenting truckers on their cross-country runs, as well as a series on life in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Beginning in the 1950s, Libsohn's work appeared in numerous periodicals and was included in several important exhibitions including the Museum of Modern Art's  The Family of Man. He taught photography at Princeton University. Credit: National Gallery of Art https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.24673.html

Sol Libsohn - Jean

Lot 24 Sol Libsohn American (1914-2001) Jean vintage gelatin silver print artist stamped verso 12 5/8 x 10 1/2 inches Provenance: from a private New Jersey collection

Sol Libsohn - Man Sleeping on Subway

Lot 20 Sol Libsohn American (1914-2001) Man Sleeping on Subway vintage gelatin silver print artist stamped verso image: 8 5/8 x 7 3/4 inches sheet: 9 7/8 x 8 inches Provenance: from a private New Jersey collection

Sol Libsohn - Untitled (Lady under the Bridge)

Lot 4 Sol Libsohn American (1914-2001) Untitled (Lady under the Bridge) vintage gelatin silver print estate stamped verso image: 8 1/2 x 7 5/8 inches sheet: 9 7/8 x 8 inches Provenance: from a private New Jersey collection

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001)

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001) East Side, near Delancey Street, New York, 1940s gelatin silver print, printed later title in pencil (on the verso) 9¾ x 9 7/8in. (24.8 x 25cm.)

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001)

SOL LIBSOHN (1914-2001) Untitled, 1945 gelatin silver print signed in ink, credit in pencil and credit stamp (on the reverse of the flush-mount) 10½ x 10¼in. (26.4 x 26cm.)

SOL LIBSOHN (American, 1914-2001) Portrait of

SOL LIBSOHN (American, 1914-2001) Portrait of Lewis Hine, circa 1930 Vintage gelatin silver, circa 1930 9-1/2 x 7-1/2 inches (24.1 x 19.1 cm) Verso: signed, titled, and dated in graphite in artist's hand State: unmounted

[ Photographs ] BELLEPLAIN PROJECT. Porfolio of 27- 12.25in x 10.25in gelatin silver prints, mounted, in a loose-leaf binder, within a black

[ Photographs ] BELLEPLAIN PROJECT. Porfolio of 27- 12.25in x 10.25in gelatin silver prints, mounted, in a loose-leaf binder, within a black cloth-covered portfolio, with title ""HOPE in the BELLEPLAIN PROJECT. Photographs by Sol Libsohn. A sheet glued to the inside of the cover, is dated July 2, 1964, and endorsed to "Margaret from "Sol Libsohn died in 2001. He had been a major figure in the "Photo League" since the 1930's. In the period of this portfolio he was teaching at Princeton University. This portfolio deals with a project in Newark. New Jersey to give opportunities to out-of-work youth. The portfolio is unique, or exists in very few examples. [4]

LIBSOHN, SOL Joe's Ice Coal Wood, 2nd Ave & 25 St. * Barber Shop, 41st & Ninth Ave. Together, 2 photographs.

LIBSOHN, SOL

Joe's Ice Coal Wood, 2nd Ave & 25 St. * Barber Shop, 41st & Ninth Ave. Together, 2 photographs. Silver prints, each 8x6 1/2 inches with Libsohn's signature and caption, in pencil, on verso. 1950s