signed and inscribed with the Arbus Estate authentication number by the photographer's daughter, Doon Arbus, in ink and stamped on the reverse, 1959; accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity from the Arbus Estate

The photographer to Charlie Lucas

Private Collection

Langmuir Collection, Philadelphia

To the present owner

Los Angeles, Steve Turner Contemporary, Sideshow: Diane Arbus at Hubert's Museum, February 2008

Düsseldorf, NRW-Forum Kultur & Wirtschaft, Diane Arbus: Hubert's Museum Work 1958-63, March 2008

Of her early work, Arbus said, 'In the beginning of photographing I used to make very grainy things. I'd be fascinated by what the grain did because it would make a kind of tapestry of all these little dots and everything would be translated into this medium of dots. Skin would be the same as water would be the same as sky and you were dealing mostly in dark and light, not so much in flesh and blood' (Diane Arbus: A Monograph, pp. 8-9). This small, early print is in generally excellent condition. In raking light, the following are visible: a few insignificant handling creases in the margins; and 2 small creases in the lower left quadrant and near the upper edge of the image. None of these creases appear to break the emulsion, and they do not in any way detract from the overall fine quality of this print. The margin corners are bumped and creased. On the reverse of the print, the copyright stamp is dated '2004' in ink. Also on the reverse is the Arbus Estate authentication number: '#594-24-0AV-1114.'
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The photograph offered here comes originally from a recently-discovered group of 27 Diane Arbus photographs made at Hubert's Dime Museum in New York City.  A Times Square institution from the 1920s until its demise in 1965, Hubert's featured a legendary flea circus, sideshow acts, and a variety of human freaks—home turf for Arbus and her camera.  Arbus was a habitué of Hubert's in the late 1950s and early 1960s, making fri▨ends with its cast of characters and honing her skills for work to come.  The 'Jewish Giant' Eddie Carmel, whose photograph is now an Arbus icon, worked at Hubert's, along with sword swallowers, exotic dancers, contortionists, and more. 

The present image shows Hubert's African-American impresario R. C. 'Charlie' Lucas, alongside Giant Buck Nolan, a lady midget known as Margharita, and two anonymous Hubert employees. Lucas rose from performer to manager at Hubert's and owned the Museum in its last years.  It was through a reference to Arbus in Lucas's address book, found in his papers after his death, that these photographs were first identified as Arbus's work by the collector Robert Langmuir.  An account of Langmuir's detective work can be found in Gregory Gibson's 2008 volume Hubert's Freaks: the Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photographs of Diane Arbus.  

In 2010, this archive of rare Arbus photographs, with the exception of three duplicates in the group, was acquired by the New York Public Library.  The photograph offered here, one of those duplicates, is believed to be one of o🍸nly two prints of the image extant, the other print now in the Library's collection.  The camaraderie between these sideshow performers and the photographer, as evident in the present image, is striking; it was Arbus's empathy for her sitters that she used to advantage in her best work, often to her subjects' peril.  At Hubert's, Arbus was welcomed into the lives of those considered by society to be grotesque.  She would later make her mark, in part, with photographs that captured the grotesque in those considered normal.