Description:

Irving Penn
New York, NY, January 25, 1964
Irving Penn, 10 Most Influential Photographers of the 20th Century, Superb Original Print!
Photograph
In 1964, photographer Victor Keppler opened the famous Photographers School in Connecticut with the vision of bringing cutting edge, personal instruction from important photographers in the United States right into the students' living rooms. Keppler not only succeeded in his mission to provide expert instruction, he gathered together the 10 most important photographers of the twentieth-century to be the faculty!

The original print we offer here represents, in a single shot, the amazing accomplishment of Keppler as well as a revealing portrait of each of the world-renowned photographers. This image is by Irving Penn, measures 10" x 8", b/w, and shows, from left: Arthur d'Arazien, Joseph Cost, Philippe Halsman, Harry Garfield, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Bert Stern, Ezra Stoller, Alfred Eisenstadt and Richard Beattie. On verso is a label reading: "Faculty Portrait Photograph by Irving Penn Famous Photographers School, Westport, Conn." Fine.

The story behind this photograph is almost as interesting as the image itself. According to a photocopy telling the story of this photograph (included): "The day was January 25, 1964, and the place was the New York City studio of Bert Stern…These men were assembled by the [Famous Photographers] School's advertising department and agency, for the purpose of creating a new advertising approach for the the famous Photographers School…It is not an easy task to gather all of these men together at one time…It was felt that the new photograph should show each of the faculty members with his own camera…Since we had these famous photographers, why not let them take the photographs themselves…After considerable investigation, it was decided that a mirror, which completely filled the entire floor of Stern's studio, would enable the faculty members to look at themselves -- and photograph themselves…The men worked until 3:15 A.M., adjusting the lights, checking various positions, and making test prints….Saturday was one of excitement. Each man had just received the School's new text books…Each man took his own turn using his own camera…".

Also included is a photocopy of a typed letter from Victor Keppler to Richard Avedon, Ja. 20, 1964, explaining the idea and adding "LIFE magazine is interested in this set-up…".

This photograph comes directly from the archive of the Famous Photographers School, founded in 1961 and directed by renowned photographer Victor Keppler. It gathered as faculty the ten most famous American photographers of its time: Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Alfred Eisenstadt, Bert Stern, Arthur d'Arazien, Richard Beattie, Philippe Halsman, Joseph Costa, Ezra Stoller, Harry Garfield and others. Margaret Bourke-White served as faculty advisor.

Each photographer created works exclusively for the school textbooks, as well as illustrating the lessons with some of their most famous photographs. Most of the prints we offer here are stamped with page numbers corresponding to their placement in the books. Some even include detailed handwritten notations giving details on techniques. These prints were kept in file drawers following the dissolution of the school in the mid-seventies.

The images we offer here come directly from the photographers' studios. These works are the actual prints used to create iconic images featured in issues of LIFE, Time, Vogue, and so many other publications, and created long before limited-edition portfolios with signed examples of the photographers' works were offered widely. The Famous Photographers School Archive was purchased by a Connecticut photography expert. While much of it was then acquired by the Yale University Art Gallery in 2016, the original purchaser retained a small collection, which are now offered by University Archives.

Irving Penn (1917-2009) is renowned for his portraits and fashion photography for Vogue magazine, which spanned an incredible 60 years.

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: 8" x 10"
  • Medium: Photograph

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, 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