inscribed 'photo by Dorothea Lange / From my collection' and signed by Rondal Partridge in pencil on the reverse, circa 1922

Originally acquired from the photographer by Rondal Partridge

Christie's New York, 6 October 1998, Sale 8🥂982, Lot 177

This photograph is on a sturdy double-weight paper with a lightly-textured matte surface. The deftly modulated gray tones and matte surface give this gelatin silver print a platinum-like appearance. This photograph is in generally excellent condition. The small dark spot near the left edge of the image appears to be a deposit of ink, or perhaps stray retouching. When the print is examined closely, some faint warm-toned discoloration and miniscule chipping can be seen at the edges. None of these issues is immediately apparent, nor do they detract from the overwhelmingly fine appearance of this print.
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.

This carefully executed study of the sunlit walls of an adobe building in Taos, New Mexico, was made early in Lange's photographic career.  Although Lange would later become known as one of the great photographers of the Depression, this early image shows her considerable skill at formal composition. 

 Lange was a student of both Arnold Genthe and Clarence White, and the influence of these photographers, both of whose work was poised between Pictorialism and Modernism, can be seen in the image here.  While the photograph has a Pictorial softness, the compos𒊎ition ಞis austere and minimal, bordering on the abstract.  Consisting almost exclusively of mid-gray tones, this expertly rendered print nonetheless conveys a sense of depth, space, and light.

Lange made a number of trips to the Southwest in the early 1920s in the company of her first husband, the painter and illustrator Maynard Dixon (1875-1946).  There, Lange focused her camera upon the Indians she encountered in the pueblos, as well as on their adobe architecture.  Examples of her 1920s work in the Southwest are rare; while the photograph offered here is not reproduced in the Lange literature, a very similar study appears in Dorothea Lange: Eloquent Witness. 

This print comes originally from the collection of the photographer Rondal Partridge (B. 1917), son of Imogen Cunningham and Roi Partridge. 🗹 As a young man, Partridge worked for Lange during her years with the Farm Security Administration as a dri꧙ver and assistant in the field.