ferrotyped, mounted, credit, date, and annotation in ink and with the photographer's 'With permission An American Place,' 'Kindly Return Photo. Keep Clean,' and 'An American Place Room 1710 - 509 Madison Ave New York.-N. Y.' stamps on the reverse, 1931, printed no later than 1946 (Greenough 1427)

Originally in the collection of Doris Bry, New York

This ferrotyped print in in generally good condition. There is faint craquelure overall, mostly visible in raking light. The most noticeable areas are in the lower right corner in the right part of the skull jowl and to the left of O'Keeffe's left hand. Under raking light, faint silvering is visible along the left edge. The reverse of the mount is age-darkened and faintly soiled overall. 'Portrait. Hands with Skull - 1930 by Alfred Stieglitz' is written in an unidentified hand in ink. There are several stamps on the reverse: 'With Permission An American Place' [twice], 'Kindly Return Photo. Keep Clean' [annotated 'to' in ink], and 'An American Place Room 1710 - 509 Madison Ave New York.-N. Y.'
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.

Throughout Alfred Stieglitz’s multi-decade, multi-image photographic portrait of Georgia O’Keeffe, the painter’s nimble hands are often a focal point.  From a portrait of O’Keeffe engaged with the domesticity of a needle, thread, and thimble made early in their relationship (see lot 209) to the present study of O’Keeffe embracing the subject of her celebrated skeletal paintings of the early 1930s, Stieglitz never lost his fascination with her capable hands.  The photograph offered here comes originally from the collection of Doris Bry, noted O’Keeffe scholar and longtime agent to the painter.  Along with O’Keeffe, Bry was responsible for cataloguing and organizing the Alfred Stieglitz Master Set gifts to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., and other museums.