NEW YORK, NY.- Swann Galleries’ winter offering of Fine Photographs on Thursday, February 15, opens with An American Century, a 100 lot selection from the Collection of Dr. James and Debra Pearl. The sale will also feature the house’s seasonal offering of Fine Photographs with house favorites such as Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helmet Newton and more.

Swann is pleased to offer a special auction of 100 lots from the Collection of Dr. James and Debra Pearl. Rich in American masterworks, the collection features the premier photographers of the nineteenth-century American landscape, such as Carleton Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge, and William Henry Jackson, as well as the twentieth-century masters, including Ansel Adams, Irving Penn, and Edward Weston.

The highlight of the offering is Richard Avedon’s exceptional 1958 portrait of Georgia O’Keeffe, the only print in existence of this frame from Avedon’s sitting with the artist ($30,000-50,000). Six of Irving Penn’s portraits from his Small Trades series, including Breton Onion Seller, London, 1950 ($20,000-30,000), and Deep Sea Diver, New York, 1951 ($20,000-30,000), his 1948 portraits of Igor Stravinsky ($5,000-7,500) and Truman Capote ($6,000-9,000), as well as imagery from Cuzco, including his iconic Cuzco Children, Peru, 1948 ($15,000-25,000). Other highlights include Carleton Watkins’ The Domes from Yosemite Valley, 1865-66, printed 1870s ($10,000-15,000), and Mirror Lake and Mount Watkins, Yosemite, 1861, printed 1870s ($7,000-10,000), Eadweard Muybridge’s Pi-Wi-Ack, Valley of the Yosemite, Shower of Stars, Vernal Falls, 1872 ($7,000-10,000), and Temple Peak, 1872 ($7,000-10,000), Ansel Adams’ Clearing Winter Storm, 1938, printed 1959-60 ($8,000-12,000), and Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, 1927, printed 1973-77 ($25,000-35,000), and Edward Weston’s rare and vintage Civilian Defense, 1942 ($8,000-12,000), and Dunes, Oceano (White Dunes), 1936 ($20,000-30,000). This collection is a testament to the Pearls’ love and appreciation for the medium’s history as well as their understanding of photography’s unique and indelible beauty.

The auction continues with numerous works for a multi-owner section, including Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Rue Mouffetard, Paris, 1954, printed 1980s ($20,000-30,000); Peter Hujar’s New York: Sixth Avenue, 1976 ($10,000-15,000); Helmut Newton’s Rue Aubriot (i), Yves St. Laurent, Haute Couture Collection, Paris, 1975, printed 2000s ($15,000-20,000); Andy Warhol’s Polaroid Self-portrait in Fright Wig, 1986 ($10,000-15,000); Garry Winogrand’s eponymous portfolio, 1960-74, printed 1978 ($15,000-25,000); Dorothea Lange’s Daughter of a Mexican field laborer. Near Chandler, Ariz, 1937 ($6,000-9,000); and a stunning oversized Ruth Bernhard Nude in the Box – Horizontal, 1962, printed 1992 ($10,000-15,000), among much more.

Exhibition hours are 12PM to 5PM Saturday, February 10, and Monday, February 12 through Wednesday, February 14. Bidding is available through online platforms, absentee, the phone, and live in-person. Live online bidding platforms will be the Swann Galleries App, Invaluable, and Live Auctioneers.