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Lot Essay
In the mid-1930s Roy H. Ellison was retained by Berenice Abbott as her legal counsel during a time when her exploits led her to situations needing such assistance. Ellison's services to Abbott roughly lasted from 1935 to 1938, often coming to her aid when she encountered tangles along the way.
In 1929 Abbott returned from Paris and soon began work on what would later become "Changing New York", funded by the Federal Arts Project. Abbott's dedication to the photographic survey of the city was extensive, as evidenced by the sheer number of negatives exposed and the broad variety of viewpoints taken. Ellison was intimately aware of his client's professional commitment. It would probably not be overspecualting that the photographer was one of Ellison's more unusual accounts. Aside from dealing with a slight penchant for trouble with the New York police, Abbott clearly had a head for adventure. A close examination of the view down Seventh Avenue offered here suggests an unorthodox camera placement. To make the picture, Ellison had held Abbott's legs as she leaned out of his midtown office window, camera in hand to make the exposure.
The prints in this and the following two lots were given to Ellison by Abbott. Signed and mounted exhibition prints by Abbott from this period, preserved this well, are considered rare.
In 1929 Abbott returned from Paris and soon began work on what would later become "Changing New York", funded by the Federal Arts Project. Abbott's dedication to the photographic survey of the city was extensive, as evidenced by the sheer number of negatives exposed and the broad variety of viewpoints taken. Ellison was intimately aware of his client's professional commitment. It would probably not be overspecualting that the photographer was one of Ellison's more unusual accounts. Aside from dealing with a slight penchant for trouble with the New York police, Abbott clearly had a head for adventure. A close examination of the view down Seventh Avenue offered here suggests an unorthodox camera placement. To make the picture, Ellison had held Abbott's legs as she leaned out of his midtown office window, camera in hand to make the exposure.
The prints in this and the following two lots were given to Ellison by Abbott. Signed and mounted exhibition prints by Abbott from this period, preserved this well, are considered rare.