signed and dated in ink in the margin, the photographer's 'Robert Frank Archive' stamp, with title, date, annotation, and numbers '77' and '34.2' in pencil, on the reverse, 1949-50, likely printed in the 1950s or 1960s

Lunn Gallery/Graphics International Ltd., Washington, D. C., 1979

Robert Frank, The Lines of My Hand (Tokyo, 1972), pl. 34.2

Sarah Greenough, Philip Brookman, et al., Robert Frank: Moving Out (Washington, D. C.: National Gallery of Art, 1994), p. 11

Robert Frank: Paris (Gottingen, 2008), unpaginated

This beautiful, fully-realized print, on double-weight paper with a surface sheen, appears to be in generally excellent condition. There is very faint, pale gray discoloration in a small area in the lower left margin, corresponding to what appears to be a light gray stain in the lower right on the reverse of the print. This is solely in the margin and does not affect the image. When examined with ultraviolet light, this print appears to fluoresce slightly. Unlike a 1970s print, which would fluoresce more, the limited fluorescence of this print suggests an earlier printing date.
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 palm reader's stand pictured here inspired the title of Frank's 1972 book, The Lines of My Hand.  A lyrical survey of the photographer's work, the autobiographical Lines of My Hand plumbs the 'science and mystery' of life that is advertised on the palm reader's sign.

The focus on words in the present photograph is unusual in Frank's early work. Even in The Americans, photographs in which words play a significant role are few.  Not until later in his career, in the 1970s, would Frank make frequent use of words in his photographs to expand💝 their meaning.  Sometimes poetic, sometimes bluntly personal, these words or lines of text, drawn or painted directly onto the images, evoke the🐷 raw emotions of love, loss, and death.

Frank's Lines of My Hand evolved in its selection of photographs from one edition to the next, but the image offered here, rarely seen at auction, remained the seminal constant in each.  A link from Frank's early career to his most recent, the Lines image presages by decades the radically different work that would c💜ome𝓀.