Depression Portrait, New York City

Listing No: 11614

Other Images

  • Depression 1932_verso.jpg

My Rooms

No rooms to show.

Offered By

Photographic Archives Gallery

Wimberley, TX

Photographic Archives Gallery

P.O. Box 920

Wimberley, TX 78676

214-437-6272
[email protected]

Please have the item listing number on hand when you call. This artwork's listing number is: 11614

Artwork Info

FAE Listing No:
11614
Artist:
John Albok (1894-1982)
Title:
Depression Portrait, New York City
Date of Work:
1932
Signature:
Unsigned.
Signature Notes:
Artists stamps on verso.
Where Produced:
New York City, New York, USA.
Presentation:
Unmatted

Artwork Medium

Type:
Photography
Sub Type:
B&W
Medium:
Gelatin Silver
Support:
on Photo Paper
Medium Notes:
This is a medium weight, fiber base printing paper with a velvet-like finish.

Artwork Size & Weight

Primary:
5.5 x 3.75 in
Outer Dimensions:
5.5 x 3.75 in.
Size Notes:
This is a borderless, unmounted photograph.

Artwork Surface

Texture:
Flat
Surface Reflectivity:
Even - Matte

Artwork Condition

Condition:
Very Good for a vintage print of this age. A small abrasion is observed at the right margin above center, which is barely perceptible under normal viewing conditions. Verso of print shows evidence of previous mounting in an album with adhesive-type pages, though there are no adhesive residues.

Artwork Provenance

Collection:
Andy and Beckie Reisberg
Provenance:
Acquired directly from Artist’s daughter, executor of the Estate of John Albok.

About this Piece

Possibly a customer in John Albok's tailor shop. No doubt John Albok was captivated by the grazing light on his subject.

About the Artist

John Albok, a Hungarian immigrant, maintained a livelihood as a master tailor on Madison Avenue in New York City for nearly sixty years while pursuing avocations of photography, cinematography, music and painting. In his lifetime, Albok created over 16,000 photographs in the confines of his tailor shop, and was the subject of hundreds of reviews, tributes publications and awards.

John Albok was a self-taught photographer and print maker whose prolific career spanned the years of the Depression through the recovery years of the Roosevelt administration. Albok’s mastery of photography was his ability to capture on film the character and feeling of a place, the essence of a moment, and the dignity and humility of a person no matter how impoverished or downtrodden. He is acknowledged as a preeminent chronicler of his time, and his work is found in the permanent collections of major museums worldwide.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"I carry a camera on every off moment. The people of the city, young or old, rich or poor, are my subjects. The flowers, the trees, the ever-changing beauties that dwell in the sky, lovers in the park… the dream of my childhood. My images of the people are unaffected, many times laced with a tragic sense of life that speaks for itself. I like the freedom of selecting my subject matter at will and then to create them in the manner of the artist. Living life is a great art. The more we cultivate it, the better it will be for ourselves and our children." John Albok, 1979

If you would like to submit a question to the dealer, please Sign In or Sign Up now.
  • 1970s - 1980's
    edition of 1
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8 x 10 in.
    Listing no. 11352
    NOW: $2,302.97
  • 1932
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    10.75 x 10.5 in.
    Listing no. 11617
    NOW: $3,150.00
  • 1934
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    10.5 x 10.75 in.
    Listing no. 11493
    NOW: $2,389.50
  • 1933
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    11.25 x 10.5 in.
    Listing no. 11495
    NOW: $1,646.26
  • 1947
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8.25 x 7.5 in.
    Listing no. 11398
    NOW: $1,822.50
  • 1947
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8.25 x 7.75 in.
    Listing no. 11618
    NOW: $1,350.00
  • 1938
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    7.5 x 9.25 in.
    Listing no. 11718
    NOW: $1,250.00
  • ca. 1939
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8.5 x 7.5 in.
    Listing no. 11720
    NOW: $1,250.00
  • 1963
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    6.25 x 9.5 in.
    Listing no. 11583
    NOW: $1,080.00
  • 1932
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    10.75 x 10.5 in.
    Listing no. 11617
    NOW: $3,150.00
  • 1934
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    10.5 x 10.75 in.
    Listing no. 11493
    NOW: $2,389.50
  • 1947
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8.25 x 7.5 in.
    Listing no. 11398
    NOW: $1,822.50
  • 1933
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    11.25 x 10.5 in.
    Listing no. 11495
    NOW: $1,646.26
  • 1947
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8.25 x 7.75 in.
    Listing no. 11618
    NOW: $1,350.00
  • 1938
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    7.5 x 9.25 in.
    Listing no. 11718
    NOW: $1,250.00
  • ca. 1939
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8.5 x 7.5 in.
    Listing no. 11720
    NOW: $1,250.00
  • 1931
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8 x 8.75 in.
    Listing no. 11719
    NOW: $1,000.00
  • 1938
    Gelatin Silver on Photo Paper
    8 x 7.75 in.
    Listing no. 11619
    NOW: $933.00

View All Listings by this Artist