Alexander Gardner's definitive Photographic Sketch Book of the War is one of the star lots in Sotheby's New York Photographs auction, set for April 2.
![]() Never before had the true nature of war been so realistically documented |
The book is a landmark in photographic history, providing a real look at the US civil war at a time when the medium was in its infancy. With 100 albumen prints inside, the book will sell for $100,000-150,000.
In November 2013, a first edition of the work sold for $192,000 at Skinner, making a 13% increase on estimate.
Sketches of battle scenes appeared in Harper's Weekly throughout the US civil war (1861-1865), but Gardner's photographs were a stark realisation of the extent of the conflict, brought about by new advancements in photography.
Early photographic historian Beaumont Newhall wrote: "Gardner's dead sharpshooter, his long rifle gleaming by his side, is not imagined. This man lived; this is the spot where he fell; this is how he looked in death.
"There lies the great psychological difference between photography and the graphic arts."
Offered at auction is a two-volume edition of the work, printed in oblong folio format and bound in gilt-lettered morocco. A recent census of existing copies states that just 73 have survived, 51 of which are preserved in institutional collections.
Also featuring in the sale is a fantastic portrait of the Apache leader Geronimo, which was taken by Edward S Curtis but not published in his famous photobook, The North American Indian. A rare print, it is believed that just two others have been offered at auction, warranting the $60,000-90,000 estimate.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a strand of hair from Geronimo for sale, which originates from the collection of the wife of Ulysses S Grant's attorney general, Margaretta Pierrepont, who once owned the largest collection of historical hair in the world.