Lot 165

(13) Weegee Photos, Incl. 2 Signed, from Crime Scenes to Nudist Colonies, Showgirls to Hollywood Film Sets, With Bonus Self-Portraits!

Previous image preload Next image preload

(13) Weegee Photos, Incl. 2 Signed, from Crime Scenes to Nudist Colonies, Showgirls to Hollywood Film Sets, With Bonus Self-Portraits!

Estimate: $300 - $400

Current Bid: $750

(7 Bids)

June 17, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
Wilton, CT, US

Description:

Weegee
various, ca. 1930s-1960s
(13) Weegee Photos, Incl. 2 Signed, from Crime Scenes to Nudist Colonies, Showgirls to Hollywood Film Sets, With Bonus Self-Portraits!
Photographs

A group of thirteen vintage photographs taken by Weegee (Arthur Fellig) (1899-1968), an Ukrainian-American street photographer celebrated for his candid snapshots of mid-20th C. urban daily life. N.d. but ca. 1930s-1960s. Various places including New York, New York; Hollywood, California; and Paris, France. The black and white gelatin silver prints are printed on a variety of glossy and semi-glossy paper and stock. The majority of the photos (8 of 13) are hand-stamped with one of two types of Weegee identification on the verso: 6 of 8 are hand-stamped as: "Please Credit / Weegee / From / Photo-Representatives"; and 2 of 8 are hand-stamped as: "Arthur (Weegee) Fellig / 6526 Selma Avenue / Hollywood 28, California." Of the remaining photos, 3 of 13 are annotated and affixed with identification labels, suggesting a possible museum deaccession; and 2 of 13 are blank on the verso. Condition issues include scattered wrinkles, repaired closed tears, adhesive remnants, water stains, and inscriptions both recto and verso. Please refer to catalog photos for additional information related to condition, which is overall very good. The majority of the photos are 10" x 8" or 8" x 10"; three are slightly smaller.

This lot represents a great cross-section of Weegee's multi-faceted career as a street photographer, tabloid photojournalist, Hollywood consultant, and experimental photographic artist. At first, Weegee worked almost exclusively at night, rushing over to document crime and accident scenes reported over the police radio (examples in our lot: the newspaper-covered corpse, and the man arrested for murder.) His interests expanded to include people of all walks of life, but especially the average working man and woman (examples in our lot: the hat check attendant, and passersby laughing at a train depot.) Weegee also had a successful break in Hollywood as a film still photographer, special effects consultant, and occasional actor (examples in our lot: "Journey Into Light" film stills.) Later on in his career, Weegee began to probe the fringes of society (examples in our lot: nude showgirls, the nudist sanitarium patient.) His black and white portraits are striking in their candor. Weegee understood that while people were fascinated by the unusual and bizarre, they also usually responded to his sympathetic portraits with compassion and empathy.

The lot includes:

1. Weegee, "Hollywood Headshot," self-portrait wearing top hat and smoking cigar, signed at lower left as "Weegee." Hand-stamped verso.

2. Weegee, "Getting In On The Act," film still photograph from the set of the 20th Century-Fox movie "Journey Into Light" (1951), signed along the bottom margin as "Weegee." Weegee is visible in the photo just over the left shoulder of actress Viveca Lindfors. Hand-stamped verso.

3. / 4. Weegee, two film still photographs from the "Journey Into Light" film set, both featuring actors Sterling Hayden and Thomas Mitchell. With printed copyright information in the bottom margin. Blank verso.

5. Weegee, "Casino de Paris," showing the back of a nude female dancer. Hand-stamped verso and inscribed along the bottom edge recto.

6. Weegee, "Burlyque," showing the front and back of two semi-nude showgirls. Hand-stamped verso and inscribed along the bottom edge verso.

7. Weegee, "Sanitarium," showing a male nudist patient in a group photo of hospital doctors, nurses, and orderlies. Hand-stamped verso and inscribed along the bottom edge verso.

8. Weegee, showing a crowd of people laughing at a train depot; a doorway marked "Colored" dominates the right background. Hand-stamped verso and inscribed along the bottom edge verso.

9. Weegee, "Coney Island Boardwalk," showing the back of a seated woman wearing an overcoat. Hand-stamped verso and inscribed along the bottom edge verso.

10. Weegee, showing an overwhelmed men's hat check attendant and station. Hand-stamped verso.

11. Weegee, "Ambulance Attendant Tagging Corpse," label affixed to annotated reverse.

12. Weegee, "Allan Downs - Killed his Wife," label affixed to annotated reverse.

13. Weegee, "Movie Theater - Times Square," label affixed to annotated reverse.

Please see our terms and conditions for lots of five items or more.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: most 10" x 8" or 8" x 10"
  • Medium: Photographs

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000