GALLERY

Handwritten in pencil on the back, in block lettering, in the style of Steichen's signature: "STEICHEN MDCCCII".

PLEASE NOTE: We can't verify that the signature is authentic. It may have been written by someone else.

Handwritten in pencil on the back: "DEMPSEY" and "CBE 427"

Handwritten in ink on the back: "A699-133"

UNMOUNTED.

SIZE. Approximately 11 7/8 x 8 1/2 inches.

CONDITION. Several creases, including one on his hair and one on his face. These are more apparent when tilted. The most fragile and apparent crease is at lower right. Wear around edges and at corners. Some tiny spots. Some milkiness. Doesn't lie completely flat.

APPEARANCE. Masterful lighting. Excellent sepia tones. A straightforward, sharp, and stunning portrait.

DEMPSEY. "Jack Dempsey (born June 24, 1895, Manassa, Colorado, U.S.—died May 31, 1983, New York, New York) was an American world heavyweight boxing champion, regarded by many as the epitome of the professional fighter. He held the title from July 4, 1919, when he knocked out Jess Willard in three rounds in Toledo, Ohio, until September 23, 1926, when he lost a 10-round decision to Gene Tunney in Philadelphia. Dempsey fought 84 bouts, winning 62, 51 of which were by knockout." (source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

STEICHEN. "Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter and curator and a pioneer of fashion photography. His gown images for the magazine Art et Décoration in 1911 were the first modern fashion photographs to be published. From 1923 to 1938, Steichen served as chief photographer for the Condé Nast magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair, while also working for many advertising agencies, including J. Walter Thompson. During these years, Steichen was regarded as the most popular and highest-paid photographer in the world. After the United States' entry into World War II, Steichen was invited by the United States Navy to serve as Director of the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit. In 1944, he directed the war documentary The Fighting Lady, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 17th Academy Awards. From 1947 to 1961, Steichen served as Director of the Department of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art. While there, he curated and assembled exhibits including the touring exhibition The Family of Man, which was seen by nine million people. In 2003, the Family of Man photographic collection was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in recognition of its historical value. In February 2006, a print of Steichen's early pictorialist photograph, The Pond–Moonlight (1904), sold for US$2.9 million—at the time, the highest price ever paid for a photograph at auction. A print of another photograph of the same style, The Flatiron (1904), became the second most expensive photograph ever on November 8, 2022, when it was sold for $12,000,000, at Christie's New York – well above the original estimate of $2,000,000-$3,000,000." (source: Wikipedia)