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Nigel's Picks
Nigel Russell | Director, Photographs, New York
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Berenice Abbott's New York at Night
, 1932, is a deceptively simple photograph but, in fact, took a lot of prior planning. This scene could only have been photographed shortly before Christmas at around 4:30 pm when the sky was getting dark but before 5:00 pm when the office workers would leave for the day and turn off the lights in the surrounding buildings. She could not have taken it from the top of the Empire State Building because the wind would have been too great on the observation deck for the fifteen-minute exposure time. Abbott had to convince the management that she was not going to commit suicide when she requested an open window halfway up the building. She only had time for one try and developed the negative in a special "soft" developer to control the contrast. The result is the most iconic night view of
Manhattan.
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This playful photograph of Madonna by Herb Ritts remains among his most iconic images. Ritts, a renowned American fashion photographer of the 1980s and 1990s, was celebrated for his beautifully printed, strikingly composed, and sensuous black-and-white portraits of supermodels and celebrities. Taken during Madonna's 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour-her first international tour-this intimate and stripped-down portrayal offered fans a fresh glimpse of the star, deepening their connection with her.
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In the 1990s, I worked with a private collection that had acquired the archive of Dr. Walter Clark (1899-1991), a Kodak research scientist renowned for inventing color infrared film. Clark was also a close friend and mountaineering companion of Bradford Washburn (American, 1910-2007). Within Clark's archive were intriguing photographs showing both Clark and Washburn posing alongside various large aerial cameras beside a small propeller aircraft, ready for takeoff on a mountain photography expedition. It was only later that I fully appreciated Washburn's exceptional photographic prints. His work beautifully captured the grandeur of mountainous landscapes and provided essential insights for climbers, cartographers, and geographers, significantly enriching their understanding of these
challenging environments.
Among Washburn's most celebrated photographs is his remarkable 1956 black-and-white image of the South Peak of Moose's Tooth in Alaska. This photograph vividly demonstrates Washburn's unique ability to transform rugged, inaccessible terrain into visually compelling art. Through an aerial perspective, Washburn magnificently portrays the stark beauty and profound isolation of this Alaskan peak, cementing his reputation as one of the most accomplished photographers of Earth's majestic mountain landscapes.
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Yale Joel's delightful 1954 portrait of young baseball players in a kindergarten classroom in Manchester, N.H., captures a charming moment: children trying on uniforms and, as LIFE magazine noted at the time, anxiously awaiting the delivery of the "missing parts of outfits." It remains one of the finest pure baseball photographs ever taken by a LIFE photographer.
At the vibrant, magnetic center of this image is the pantless, yet commanding presence of a young Dick Williams. Standing defiantly in the middle of the frame, Williams appears ready to confront the coach, the equipment manager, or anyone else responsible for delaying the uniforms. His teammates, members of the Manchester Boys Club team, exhibit various expressions-some bored, others anxious or unsure. But Williams looks prepared to take the field in just his socks and underwear if necessary, and through sheer determination, it seems he'd persuade his teammates to join him, complete uniforms or not.
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Laura's Picks
Laura Paterson | Consignment Director, Photographs, New York
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Like photographers Peter Beard, Nick Brandt, and Sebastião Salgado, Michel Ghatan is deeply committed to raising awareness of the ongoing threat to East African wildlife. His monumental portraits of these magnificent animals, here an elephant, evoke a profound emotional connection in us, revealing their dignity, beauty and individuality. At a time when our planet seems increasingly fragile and dystopian, Michel's technically flawless and evocative photographs serve as a powerful reminder of why it is essential that we fight for the preservation of the natural world and its inhabitants.
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In 1955-1956, armed with a Guggenheim Foundation grant, Swiss-born Robert Frank traveled across America from New York to California, taking a series of photographs that were published in 1959 as The Americans, now considered one of the most influential photo books of all time. Frank's conception of his recently adopted country was radically shaped by this trip, as beneath the surface of what he had imagined to be a well-adjusted and prosperous post-war society lurked something unexpectedly and significantly darker - poverty and inequality. Frank's Trolley, New Orleans
, perhaps one of the most desirable images from the series, is a quietly framed reproach. In this oversized print of the image, Frank crops the image tight so that we make eye-contact with the segregated riders. There is no drama here; instead, they gaze impassively at us, seemingly accepting of the status quo.
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Photojournalist extraordinaire W. Eugene Smith described the pictures he made in Haiti as "My best unpublished essay." Some of his photographs, including these compelling images, were taken in a lunatic asylum just outside Port-au-Prince and bear witness to the horrifying conditions he found there. The photographs are testament to Smith's extraordinary compositional skills—he pares each of his pictures down to their essential elements—staring eyes and writhing hands - to express the hellish existence of the inmates.
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One of only four complete maquettes of his seminal publication Cowboy Kate and Other Stories, Haskins used three as presentation tools to show to potential publishers and kept one back for himself - this copy, which is probably now unique.
It seems that Haskins sequenced the maquette himself using the rhythm of tone, grain and contrast of each photograph as key design elements to create a distinctive narrative flow. The maquette itself has wonderful object quality and feels very much of its time, reflecting the innovative and insouciant vibes of the "Swinging Sixties."
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Czech Modernist Frantisek Drtikol was a consummate perfectionist, painstakingly arranging his gymnast models in a constructed studio environment. He always insisted that "the image must be complete in the photographer's head a long time before it is reflected in the viewfinder", an approach which eventually led him to replace live models with cut-outs, which were much easier to manipulate successfully. This rare, blue-toned carbon print is a fascinating example of how Dritikol creates depth using these a two-dimensional chorus line, a spatial feat which would have been virtually impossible to achieve using live models.
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Holly's Picks
Holly Sherratt | Director, Modern & Contemporary Art
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Robert Frank's City Fathers, Hoboken, New Jersey (1955-1956) is a defining image from The Americans, the landmark series that reshaped documentary photography. Depicting Hoboken officials in rigid formality, the photograph offers a quiet yet pointed critique of civic authority and the performance of power in postwar America.
This print, made circa 1962, is an important early example. It is signed by Frank and inscribed by Grace Mayer, then Curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), with MoMA's stamp on the verso. These details strongly suggest it was produced for MoMA's 1962 Harry Callahan and Robert Frank exhibition, curated by Mayer. Its association with that exhibition highlights both the photograph's early institutional recognition and the profound influence of The Americans on the history of photography.
Most recently, the print was included in Turning the Page at Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco (2024-2025), the final exhibition at the renowned institution before its closure.
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George A. Tice (1938-2025) was a celebrated American photographer known for capturing the quiet dignity of everyday life, particularly in his native New Jersey. His iconic image Petit's Mobile Station and Water Tower, Cherry Hill, New Hill, New Jersey, November, 1974 exemplifies his mastery of light, atmosphere, and composition. Tice used a long exposure to isolate the glowing gas station at night, later comparing the placement of the water tower to Lincoln Cathedral in Frederick Evans' 1898 photograph. This print, made in 1975, is an early example—evident in the misspelling of "Mobil," the use of Agfa Brovira paper, and his earlier "Geo. A. Tice" signature, all markers that predate the refinements of his later editions.
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Richard Avedon's His Holiness The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Gyume Tantric Monastery, Karnataka, India, January 6, 1998
shows the Dalai Lama smiling gently among young monks at a monastery in exile. Departing from Avedon's signature isolated portraits, the group composition emphasizes the bond between teacher and students, capturing the transmission of spiritual knowledge across generations. The Dalai Lama's warm, composed expression contrasts with the solemn, attentive faces of the novices, highlighting their focus and sense of responsibility. Signed by both Avedon and the Dalai Lama, the photograph is a rare and deeply personal collaboration. Printed in a small edition of twelve, it originally supported the Rato Dratsang Monastery in India. It remains one of the most personal and historically significant portraits of Avedon's career.
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Toshiko's Picks
Cataloguer, Fine and Decorative Arts, New York
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John Pfahl was an artist who focused on our relationship with nature and created a variety of color landscape photography series. He started as a commercial and architectural photographer, followed by a long career since 1968 as a photography educator. While Pfahl taught at the Rochester Institute of Technology for over a decade, his first body of work, "Altered Landscape" (1974 -1978), came out. He playfully but carefully placed objects or paint in the natural environment, made to form a geometric shape in the landscape when photographed from a specific vantage point. These illusions are subtle at first glance, but as you look, they start questioning what we see and how we take for granted what we expect when looking at landscapes. "Picture Windows"(1978-1981) suggested our habit of
trying to "domesticate" or cropping landscapes as we like looking through windows as picture frames. "Power Places" and "Smoke" in the 1980s-1990s presented a beautiful intermix of industrial structures and nature that might have startled you. At the same time, Pfahl dug into how we traditionally observed landscapes, revisiting the aesthetics of the picturesque in the 19th century, reflected in the series "Arcadia Revisited" and "Permutations on the Picturesque" with his dry but warm humor. "Extreme Horticulture" presented our overpowering attitude toward nature, showing the funny and funky topiaries, we see in gardens solely for the pleasure of our eyes. It is a shame we lost the artist to Covid-19 in 2020.
We have 10 of his works in this auction. "Six Oranges" is one of my favorites. Which do you see first? 6 orange circles of the same size? Or the large orange in the background?
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Weegee took two portraits of men on the streets of Manhattan, which are included in this sale. However, it is also interesting to see the photographer himself at work. Known as Weegee, Arthur Fellig was a famous tabloid photographer in the 1930s and 1940s. He started as a freelance photographer during the Depression era. As a well-known exploit, Weegee got a permit to use a portable police-band shortwave radio that often let him be the first at an accident, fire, or crime scene before the authorities arrived. Every night, he was at the ready with his signature camera, a 4x5 Speed Graphic with a flashgun attached, that you see him putting in the back of his car in one of the pictures. You would notice that Weegee was always wearing a suit, even in bed, and a cigar in hand. He was a
character!
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Mya's Picks
Mya Adams | Cataloguer, Fine Arts, Dallas
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Heritage's Spring Photographs Signature Auction features an extraordinary lineup, but Immortal #2, Camille by Vee Speers has quietly stood out as a personal favorite. There's a stillness to Camille that's utterly entrancing. The directness of her gaze-unwavering and enigmatic-reminds me of the Mona Lisa. It invites you in and holds you there, as if she knows something you don't. The background, softly surreal and unplaceable, adds to the sense of mystery, making it feel like she exists in a world just slightly out of reach.
What I find so compelling about Speers' work is her ability to blend innocence with complexity. Camille is delicate and ethereal, yet there's a quiet intensity beneath the surface. It's a photograph that lingers with you long after you've looked away.
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There's no shortage of animals in this spring's auction—enough to fill a zoo catalog, honestly—but none brought me more joy than Inge Morath's Llama in Times Square.
New York is a city of surprises. Every time I visit, I never quite know what I'll encounter... but a llama poking its head out of a car in Times Square? That's the kind of magic I'd pay good money to witness.
This whimsical photograph is part of a larger, standout collection from photographer and collector Abe Frajndlich. While 69 works from his collection are featured in this season's auction, we're thrilled to present even more in the seasons to come.
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Throughout art history, hands have been a benchmark of technical skill—praised for their complexity and expressive potential in painting and drawing. I think photography deserves the same recognition, especially when hands are treated with such intentional artistry. Germaine Krull's Hand Study is another personal favorites from this season's auction. The photograph captures a beautifully articulated pair of hands gently gripping a steering wheel—a simple, everyday action today, but in 1929, still a relatively novel scene.
To me, hands can be just as expressive as faces, and Krull's image is a perfect example of that. There's a quiet confidence in the lightness of the grip—a calm familiarity that suggests total harmony between person and machine. It's not just a study of form—it's a study of feeling.
This piece is one of many that have stayed with me from our Spring Signature Auction. Believe me, narrowing it down to just three favorites was no easy task. We in the Photographs department are thrilled to finally share this powerful lineup with you.
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Nigel Russell
Director, Photographs,
New York
NigelR@HA.com
(212) 486-3659
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Laura Paterson
Consignment Director,
Photographs, New York
LauraP@HA.com
(212) 486-3525
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Holly Sherratt
Director, Modern &
Contemporary Art
HollyS@HA.com
(415) 548-5921
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Toshiko Abe
Cataloguer, Fine &
Decorative Arts
New York
ToshikoA@HA.com
(212) 486-3523
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Mya Adams
Cataloguer,
Fine Arts, Dallas
MyaA@HA.com
(214) 409-1139
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