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Lot Essay
There are three versions of Outerbridge's Saltine Box. The first was printed from an unretouched negative which shows the scratched or creased surface of the underside of a cracker tin. the second, offered here, shows the deftness with which Outerbridge reclaims the brilliance of the netal bottom, eliminating the distracting element. The third is similar but adds another prop on the right edge of the frame.
Outerbridge's affection for both Cubist and Constructivist principles was the central axis from which many of his successful pictures were spun. John Szarkowski commented on Saltine Box's dynamic form, "The photograph (reproduced here) is a puzzle - literally and surely intentionally. A three-dimensional form (apparently but not assuredly a bricklike form, with parallel edges) rests on or floats in a plane or space that cannot be rationalized. The puzzle is made more challenging by virtue of the very real and specific quality of light that falls on the subject. In sum, the picture is a challenge to our nave trust in the evidence of our senses. (Looking at Photographs, p. 80.)
Prints from the retouched negative number approximately six.
Outerbridge's affection for both Cubist and Constructivist principles was the central axis from which many of his successful pictures were spun. John Szarkowski commented on Saltine Box's dynamic form, "The photograph (reproduced here) is a puzzle - literally and surely intentionally. A three-dimensional form (apparently but not assuredly a bricklike form, with parallel edges) rests on or floats in a plane or space that cannot be rationalized. The puzzle is made more challenging by virtue of the very real and specific quality of light that falls on the subject. In sum, the picture is a challenge to our nave trust in the evidence of our senses. (Looking at Photographs, p. 80.)
Prints from the retouched negative number approximately six.