Lot 28: Arnold Eagle (1909- 1992) and David Robbins. 2 photographs from “One Third of a Nation”

Arnold Eagle (1909- 1992) and David Robbins. Two photographs from the project “One Third of a Nation,” a Works Projects Administration series depicting slum conditions in NYC in the 1930’s. These are vintage toned gelatin silver prints. One shows a girl in her small apartment at 135 Cherry Street [May-August 1938.] The subject is written in pencil on the verso with the names of the photographers and the notation “2nd page.” There is a PIX stamp verso. The print is 8 x 11 ¼ inches. Handling marks. [3] The other shows a girl on a ladder leading to the roof on the top landing. The snipe verso indicates this is one of the “risky staircases [that] are often the only fire protection” This is also from the “One Third of a Nation” project. It is a vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print, 9 7/8 inches. Minor handling marks include slight crackling on the left border edge, corners creased, still very good. [D3+] The force of the photographs are amplified by the presence of the girl in each. There is a stamp for the Fox Publishing Company and a PIX credit stamp with the photographer’s names written in red. Eagle was a member of the Film and Photo League, later the Photo League. He worked on films by Robert Flaherty and Hans Richter and became a major photographer of the dance, especially Martha Graham. His works are in many major museums.

8 x 11 1/4

Gelatin Silver Print

1930s

3