Lot 107: George H. Seeley , 1880-1927 birch trees

oversized multiple-process print, matted, circa 1910

measurements note 19 3/4 by 15 1/2 in. (50.2 by 39.4 cm.)

Acquired by the present owner from Charles Isaacs Photographs, Malvern, 1986

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF PAUL F. WALTER
This photograph, and that offered in Lot 113, are among the largest of Seeley's extant prints, few of which have appeared at auction. The size of this print suggests that it was almost certainly intended for exhibition. Seeley was first introduced to the possibilities inherent in pictorial photography by F. Holland Day, whom he encountered while a young art student in Boston. Thereafter, working in and around his native Stockbridge, Seeley produced a body of work that met and exceeded Pictorialism's requirements. Like Edward Steichen, with whom he was often compared, Seeley worked extensively with different photographic processes, modifying these to suit his vision, and experimenting with different paper types and finishes. The photograph offered here, rendered in delicate gray tones on textured artist's paper, shows Seeley's careful choice of materials and his ability to turn them to his aesthetic use. Weston Naef has noted that many of Seeley's photographs were taken early in the day when the quality of light best suited his vision (The Collection of Alfred Stieglitz: Fifty Pioneers of Modern Photography, p. 430).