Los Angeles – The camera, once a simple wooden box with a primitive lens and cap for controlling light, has undergone enormous changes since its invention, eventually becoming a tool that is in most people’s back pockets. In Focus: The Camera, on view July 30, 2019 – January 5, 2020 at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Center, explores the evolution of this ingenious device through a selection of historic cameras and photographs.

During the early 19th century, the three essential components of photography—a dark chamber, a light-sensitive substrate, and a method of fixing the image—were used in different ways in the experiments of Nicéphore Niépce (French, 1765-1833), Jacques Louis-Mandé Daguerre (French, 1787-1851), and William Henry Fox Talbot (British, 1800-1877). In subsequent decades, advancements such as flexible film stocks, built-in light meters, motor drives, and megapixels transformed the way the camera captures and preserves a moment in time.

On view in the exhibition will be a number of cameras manufactured in the 19th century to present day, including the simple camera obscura, a daguerreotype camera, a stereo camera, an early roll-film camera, a large portable camera, a miniature spy camera, an early color camera, and the first digital camera marketed to the general public. The exhibition will include text that explains how photographs are created using each of these cameras and techniques. Cameras produced by well-known brands such as Kodak, Leica, Nikon, Hasselblad, and Canon will be displayed.

The gallery will also include a number of portraits, self-portraits, and images of artists at work by famed photographers such as Imogen Cunningham (American, 1883-1976), Dorothea Lange (American, 1895-1965), Lisette Model (American, born Austria, 1901-1983), Helmut Newton (German-Australian, 1920-2004), Edward Steichen (American, born Luxembourg, 1879-1973), Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987), and Edward Weston (American, 1886-1958). These images remind the viewer of the inextricable relationship between the camera and the artist.

In Focus: The Camera is curated by Paul Martineau, associate curator of photographs for the J. Paul Getty Museum. Related events to come.

Paris – Christie’s’ Books department is pleased to announce the sale of the collection: Paul Destribats, Bibliothèque des avant-gardes in partnership with the experts Jean-Baptiste de Proyart and Claude Oterelo.

This remarkable collection of books and manuscripts was jealously preserved for sixty years – only a few researchers and close friends had access to it. Some books were regularly lent to institutions. The Bibliothèque des avant-gardes comprises 6,000 books, leaflets and manifestos and ephemera from the 20th century. The first three sales, constituting the part 1, include more than 600 lots dating from the 1910s to 1945. They will take place on the 3, 4 and 5 July at Christie’s Paris. The entire collection will be sold at Christie’s in three sessions, spread over a year, from July 2019 to July 2020.

London — An historically important copy of the speech made by Wolfe Tone at his court martial – following his arrest during the 1798 Irish Rising – is to be offered at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in London on Wednesday 26 June. It is among a file of documents relating to the rebellion kept by George Hewitt, Adjutant-General of the British Army in Ireland 1791-99 and Commander-in-Chief of Ireland, 1813-16. The documents are estimated at £10,000-15,000.
 
Wolfe Tone (1763-1798) is regarded as the father of Irish Republicanism. A founding member of the Society of United Irishmen, he led the 1798 Irish Rebellion against British rule. Poorly organized and lacking the promised level of support from the French, who were waging war with Britain on land and sea elsewhere, the rebellion was put down relatively swiftly by British troops. Tone and his fellow rebel leaders were arrested and tried for treason.
 
Tone’s speech at the court martial has a special place in the long history of Irish independence, especially the closing words which he was prevented from uttering by the judge. ‘I will not detain you longer, I have attempted to establish the independence of my country; I have failed in the attempt; my life is in consequence forfeited & I submit’. Tone was found guilty of treason, but died in prison before the sentence of execution could be carried out.
 
Consultant Felix Pryor, who catalogued the documents for Bonhams, said, ‘The original manuscript of Wolfe Tone's speech to the court martial no longer exists. This official government transcript copied out at the time is therefore likely to be the closest we will ever get to what Wolfe said and what he intended to say before he was cut short by the judge.”
 
 Other documents in the file include:

    •    A printed proclamation headed, ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Union’ issued by the French General Jean Hardy, reassuring the Irish people of France’s continued ‘desire to avenge your wrongs and assure your independence.’  Only one other copy of the proclamation is known to exist, housed in the National Library of Ireland.
    •    Two handwritten memoranda on the defence of Ulster by the Commander in Chief of Tyrone, General John Knox, showing the effectiveness of the British intelligence operation and correctly identifying Lough Swilly as the location of the French invasion. Knox wrote ‘The Experience of this year has proved that the body of the people of Ulster are inimical to Government, & are ready to rise into rebellion whenever an opportunity presents itself.’
    •    A transcription of the celebrated speech by Tone’s fellow Rising leader, Bartholomew Teeling, which he intended to make at his court martial, but was forbidden from doing so. It includes the famous peroration: ‘If to have been active in endeavouring to put a stop to the blood-thirsty policy of an oppressive Government has been treason, I am guilty.’ 

London — Peter Harrington, the UK’s largest rare bookseller, this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, and is thrilled to offer for sale an exceptional collection of Ian Fleming material for £2.5m, which it will be exhibiting at this year’s Masterpiece London. It is the most significant Fleming Collection to ever appear on the market and contains inscribed first editions of every James Bond book published in the author’s lifetime.

Amongst these inscriptions are some sensational associations:

    •    An omnibus edition of Casino Royale, From Russia With Love and Doctor No inscribed to James Bond;
    •    Live and Let Die inscribed to Winston Churchill;
    •    The Spy Who Loved Me inscribed to Robert Kennedy;
    •    Moonraker inscribed to Raymond Chandler;
    •    From Russia with Love bearing a personal inscription from Fleming to his wife.

The Collection also includes a number of manuscripts, pre-publication proofs, advance copies and ephemera, and a number of books from Fleming’s personal library. These include a notebook kept by Fleming on a trip to Japan, from which selected passages appear in You Only Live Twice, books from his childhood and a copy of Raymond Chandler's last novel inscribed to Fleming by the author.

Ian Fleming’s books about James Bond are perennially popular and there is an extremely enthusiastic fan base for both the books and the films. Continued interest is fuelled by the release of each new film, with Bond 25 (working title) the latest film, set for release early next year. An indication of the price trend of James Bond first editions can be seen with a particularly fine copy of Casino Royale which Peter Harrington has been lucky enough to sell four times in the past few years: for £22,000 in 2002; £26,000 in 2006; £30,000 in 2008; and in 2013, for £50,000.

It is remarkably rare to see a whole collection like this for sale, as they are usually broken up, and it will appeal to someone looking to acquire a complete and exceptional Fleming collection all in one go. This collection is the highest valued Peter Harrington has ever offered for sale. The 81 items come from a New York collector, who has been assembling the collection for over 30 years and it is offered for sale as a collection for £2.5m.

Pom Harrington owner of Peter Harrington Rare Books says: “The significance of this collection cannot be overstated. From typescripts which document Fleming’s creative process, to inscriptions which provide an insight into his personal life, few collections tell such a complete story about an author. We are extremely excited to be able to present it at this year’s Masterpiece fair, alongside a selection of other carefully chosen items.”

Masterpiece London takes place in the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea from Thursday 27th June until Wednesday 3rd July and is open daily from 11am until 7pm on Friday 28th, Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June and until 9pm on all other days.

To view the full list of items in the Fleming Collection, click here.

Boston -- RR Auction will honor the Apollo 11 astronauts, their predecessors and those who made the historic mission possible, and their enduring legacy in manned spaceflight during its June 13-June 20 sale.

With over 500 lots highlighted by autographs, hardware, and flown artifacts, this auction brings to life the history of the space program.

Fifty years ago, on July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module 'Eagle' touched down on the surface of the moon.  Astronaut Neil Armstrong descended the spacecraft's ladder and spoke his immortal words: 'That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.' Buzz Aldrin soon followed behind him, and the two became the first earthly beings to set foot upon another celestial body.

New York – A fine first edition, early presentation copy of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection sold for $500,075, a world auction record for a presentation copy of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in New York on June 13. It had been estimated at $200,000-300,000. The 302-lot sale achieved a total of $1,270,890 and was sold 85% by lot and 94% by value.
 
Ian Ehling, Director Books and Manuscripts, comments: “This extraordinary presentation copy had been carefully stored in a private collection for nearly 100 years. It generated lots of interest during the exhibition and we saw competitive bidding in the auction room. After a four-way bidding battle, the book sold to a client on the telephone.”
 
Upon publication in 1859, a number of presentation copies were sent to family and colleagues, including one to Professor Robert Caspary (1818-1887), a German botanist and a frequent Darwin correspondent. Caspary and his work are discussed in Darwin's 1868 The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication as well as in his 1877 The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species. The book was purchased in the early 20th century by Edward Bradford Titchener (1867-1927), an English-born psychologist, professor at Cornell University, and descended to the current owner.
 
Other highlights from the sale included:
 
    •    First printing of The Tragedie of Coriolanus, William Shakespeare's most incisive exploration of the body politic sold for $50,075.
    •    An unpublished letter from Ernest Hemingway to his father, with a detailed account of his recent bull fighting activities in Spain and a suggestion of his early decision to write his first novel, The Sun Also Rises sold for $25,075.
    •    First edition of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver's Travels, Teerink's "A" edition, one of the greatest satirical fables of the 18th century, sold for $21,325.

New York – On June 5-13, Christie’s brought to auction an archive of over 50 letters from the acclaimed Canadian poet, singer-songwriter, and novelist Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) to his most famous muse, the inspiration for the song "So Long, Marianne," Marianne Ihlen. The first ever online auction for the New York Books & Manuscripts department totaled $876,000, selling 100 % by lot and 100% by value. The top lot of the online auction was There is a crack, a crack in everything An Italian bronze bell, c. 15th-16th century which sold for $81,250. The top letter from the auction was Alone with the vast dictionaries of language Montreal, December 1960, realizing $56,250, compared to an original high estimate of $7,000.

New York – On June 12, the Christie’s New York Summa de Arithmetica: The Birth of Modern Business and the Spring Fine Books and Manuscripts Including Americana auctions achieved a total of $4,693,750. The dedicated single-lot sale for Luca Pacioli’s Summa de Arithmetica (1447-1517) realized $1,215,000 after two minutes of competitive bidding between the telephones and the room.

Notable results included Edgar Allan Poe’s gold pocket watch bearing his engraved name within, which realized $250,000; signed galley proofs of Francis Crick and James Watson’s articles on DNA: “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids,” which achieved $350,000, exceeding the high estimate of $250,000; a first French edition of Karl Bodmer’s Voyage dans l’intérieur de l’Amérique du Nord, which sold for $187,500; and Marcus Elieser Bloch’s Ichthyologie, our Histoire naturelle, generale et particuliere des poisson, which realized $100,000.

Additionally, strong results were achieved for Benjamin Franklin’s “the first American” letters to Henry Homes, Lord Kames, which realized $106,000; Albert Einstein’s correspondences including two letters between Albert Einstein and Paul Epstein, which realized $93,750 and $81,250; and a Thomas Jefferson signed letter to John Page, which realized $85,000.

To browse the full results, please visit the Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts Including Americana Results Page.

New York — Illustration Art at Swann Galleries on June 4 saw a bustling auction room with bidding wars delivering strong prices: “I was extremely pleased with the collector participation in all subject areas of the sale, but Broadway legends stole the show today, as it were, with two outstanding Hirschfelds and the Mielziner,” said Illustration Specialist Christine von der Linn.

The sale was led by Al Hirschfeld’s Paul Robeson as Othello, published on August 9, 1942 in The New York Times, which captures Robeson in his groundbreaking moment as the first time an American production of Othello cast a black actor in the titular role with a white supporting cast. The only portrait of the actor by Hirschfeld, it brought $68,750, the second-highest price for the artist at auction. Also of note by the caricaturist was The Merry Widow, published in The New York Times, August 15, 1943, which earned $20,000.

Additional theater illustrations included the backdrop design for Act One, Scene Two of the 1940 Broadway production of Pal Joey by Jo Mielziner. The work brought a record for the legendary scenic designer at $55,000 after a determined round of bidding between two collectors drove the price over its $6,000 high estimate.

Magazine cover designs were highly sought-after: Miriam Troop made her auction debut with the illustration for the June 15, 1940 issue of The Saturday Evening Post ($40,000); Frederick Cooper’s pen, ink and watercolor drawing for a special issue of LIFE magazine published on May 12, 1927 also made its auction debut ($9,375); the recently rediscovered Caty Fancy, 1993, by Edward Gorey featured on the December 10, 2018 issue of The New Yorker ($16,250); and Lee Brown Coye’s acrylic painting for the 25th anniversary issue of Weird Tales ($18,750).

Mead Schaeffer’s frontispiece and dust jacket design for the 1922 reissue of Moby Dick brought $50,000. Also by Schaeffer was an oil on canvas scene for A Tale of Tombarel’s Past published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1930 ($16,250). Further illustrations for literary works included a pen-and-ink drawing by Frederic Remington for his short story A Scout with the Buffalo Soldiers published in The Century magazine in 1889 ($17,500), and Richard Power’s rear cover illustration for Star Science Fiction Stories, 1953 ($7,500).

Swann Galleries is currently accepting consignments for the fall 2019 season. Visit swanngalleries.com or download the Swann Galleries App for catalogues, bidding and inquiries.

Additional highlights can be found here.

Los Angeles — Today, illustrated books are generally associated with children’s literature, but pictures have long played a role in all sorts of reading matter. Reading Between the Lines: Drawing Illustrations (on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center through September 15) explores illustration during the 18th and 19th centuries, highlighting the flourishing of book art in France during the Enlightenment and revealing the role of literary inspiration for European artists of the Romantic era. Works on view derive primarily from the Getty Museum’s collection, along with loans from local private collections and the Getty Research Institute.