Fotografie des 19. – 21. Jahrhunderts (Katalog nur online verfügbar)

South America
Views of Guatemala and Panama
Los 4092

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
1.250€ (US$ 1,420)

Details

Photographer: Emil Herbruger (1808-1894). Views of Guatemala and Panama. 1860s, album compiled ca. 1876. 24 albumen prints with rounded corners, mounted to album boards. Most circa 20 x 24 cm. Annotated in pencil below images on the mount; bound in full-canvas album with gilt-embossed title "Amerika 1875-1877".

The German-born photographer Emil (Emilio) Herbruger emigrated to the United States in 1834 and first traveled to Latin America in 1841, working as a photographer in Cuba, Mexico, and Central America. Between 1849-1851, he was active in Colombia, where he also gained recognition as a composer and music teacher. From 1852-1857, inspired by the explorations of Alexander von Humboldt, Herbruger traveled through Peru and Brazil. He later settled in Guatemala, where he produced numerous cartes-de-visite portraits and ethnographic photographs of Indigenous communities. In Panama, portrait photography also became a lucrative line of work. This rare album attests to Herbruger’s mastery of the medium and offers a valuable visual record of the people and cultures of Central America in the mid-19th century. – Some faded in edges, otherwise in very good condition and many with strong contrasts.

Stahl, Théophile Auguste
Views of Rio de Janeiro
Los 4094

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
11.250€ (US$ 12,784)

Details

Views of Rio de Janeiro. 1860s. 25 albumen prints, some with rounded corners. Each ca. 19,5 x 24,5 cm or reverse.

This cohesive group of photographs offers a rare visual record of Rio de Janeiro in the mid-19th century, attributed to the French-born photographer Théophile Auguste Stahl. The views range from prominent landmarks, such as the Imperial Military Academy at Praia Vermelha, the Arsenal da Marinha, and Glória Hill, to sweeping panoramas of the city’s hills and coastline. Several images highlight the urban development of central neighborhoods like Santa Teresa, while others emphasize the dramatic natural setting of Guanabara Bay with Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado in the distance. Stahl’s precise compositions convey both the architectural ambition and evolving topography of imperial Rio during a period of dynamic transformation. – Some very light scuff marks, minimal foxing as well as a small tear on one print and light fading along the edges of some prints, otherwise all strong tonal prints in near excellent condition.

Stevenson, Robert Louis
Portraits of Robert Louis Stephenson etc.
Los 4095

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
750€ (US$ 852)

Details

Photographer: John Davis and unknown. Portraits of Robert Louis Stephenson, etc. Circa 1890. 4 albumen prints, mounted on both sides of board. Various sizes between 21 x 13,7 cm and 19 x 23,5 cm. Some annotated in ink below the image on the mount.

Two photographs in this group feature Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa - one alongside his wife Fanny, together with local sailors and Samoan villagers - the other shows him with high chief Tuimalealiifano Si’ualo. Also included is a portrait of King Malietoa Laupepa, attributed to John Davis and taken around 1890, as well as a striking image of the German naval vessel SMS Adler shipwrecked in Apia Harbor following the 1889 cyclone. – Mounts slightly time-stained and soiled. Prints with a few light scratch marks, otherwise in good condition.

Sumatra, Western
Ethnographic Studies of the Mentawai People
Los 4096

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
1.500€ (US$ 1,705)

Details

Photographer: Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis (1863-1922). Ethnographic studies of the Mentawai People, Western Sumatra. Circa 1895-1905. 8 albumen prints, mounted to board. Each 22,2 x 16 cm (26,4 x 20 cm). Most annotated in pencil on the verso.

This group of photographs by Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis, taken circa 1895-1905, represents a rare and significant visual record of the Mentawai people of Western Sumatra at the turn of the 20th century. Produced during Nieuwenhuis’s service in the Dutch East Indies, the images reflect the colonial-era ambition to document and classify Indigenous cultures through photography. Beyond their ethnographic purpose, these photographs are among the earliest known visual representations of Mentawai society and thus form an important historical source for the study of material culture, body ornamentation, and pre-missionary lifeways in the Mentawai Islands. – Some light fading, scuff-marks and a few creases to one print, otherwise all in good to very good condition.

Thomson, John
Street Life in London
Los 4098

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
875€ (US$ 994)

Details

Street Life in London. 1877-1878. 12 Woodburytypes, mounted to original boards. Each ca. 11,5 x 9 cm (27 x 21 cm) or reverse. Printed title below image on mount, all with red printed border lines.

This group of photographs comes from Street Life in London (1877-78), a photojournalistic series by John Thomson in collaboration with writer Adolphe Smith. Each image depicts a representative figure from London’s working class, including cabmen, street musicians, chair menders, and vendors of ginger beer and secondhand goods. Taken on location and presented with short explanatory texts in the original publication, the photographs were intended to document the city’s informal economies and daily street life. – Some minor scuff marks, otherwise all in near excellent condition.

Vienna
Stephansdom, Vienna seen from the West
Los 4101

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
1.125€ (US$ 1,278)

Details

Photographer unknown. Stephansdom, Vienna seen from the West. Mid-1870s. Mammoth albumen print. 56 x 77 cm (mount 68 x 88 cm). Mounted to board (soiled, some traces of use).

An unusually large and finely detailed albumen print depicting the south façade of St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) in Vienna, taken from Stephansplatz. The image captures the intricate Gothic architecture of the cathedral with striking clarity, including the soaring spire and patterned tile roof. In the foreground, several horse-drawn omnibuses operated by the Neue Wiener Omnibus-Gesellschaft, founded in 1872, highlight the emergence of organized urban transport in late 19th-century Vienna.
– Some surface scuff/scratch marks, horizontal line in upper area, water spot in mid area, otherwise in good condition.

Alpern, Merry
Shopping #3
Los 4102 [*]

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
750€ (US$ 852)

Details

Shopping #3. 1999. Cibachrome print, mounted to mat. 50,8 x 61 cm (70 x 80 cm). Signed and editioned "1/10" in black marker on verso.

In her series “Shopping” (1997-1999), Merry Alpern turns a hidden lens on the performative rituals of luxury retail - high‑end department stores, fitting rooms, and shopping galleries become stages for gestures of desire, hesitation and surveillance. By photographing anonymous shoppers through discreet cameras, she exposes the subtle choreography of consumer culture: the tension between private impulse and public display within spaces framed by wealth and voyeurism. A print from this edition is held in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. – Some light scuff and pressure marks, otherwise in near excellent condition,

Armstrong, David
Felix in his bedroom, Berlin
Los 4103 [*]

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
3.000€ (US$ 3,409)

Details

Felix in his bedroom, Berlin. 1995. Gelatin silver print. 60,7 x 50,8 cm. Signed, titled, dated and editioned "3/5" in pencil on the verso.

David Armstrong was an American photographer best known for his intimate, emotionally resonant portraiture. Emerging in the late 1970s alongside his close friend Nan Goldin and the Boston School of photography, he developed a signature style marked by natural light, shallow depth of field, and a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. His portraits - often of friends, lovers, and fellow artists - convey deep trust and vulnerability, capturing fleeting expressions and introspective moments. Felix in his bedroom, Berlin, taken during Armstrong’s travels in Europe, exemplifies his remarkable sensitivity to the inner lives of his subjects. – A few handling creases, otherwise in near excellent condition.

Armstrong, David
José Maria and Scott in the Tiergarten, Berlin
Los 4104 [*]

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
3.000€ (US$ 3,409)

Details

José Maria and Scott in the Tiergarten, Berlin. 1992. Gelatin silver print. 60,7 x 50,8 cm. Signed, titled, dated and editioned "AP 2" in pencil on the verso.

A few handling creases, otherwise in near excellent condition.

Astfalck-Vietz, Marta
Nude self-portraits
Los 4108

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
875€ (US$ 994)

Details

Nude self-portraits. Circa 1925. 2 vintage reproduction gelatin silver prints by the artist. 10 x 14,5 cm and 14,5 x 10 cm. Each signed in the negative in lower left; one annotated in pencil on the verso.

In the 1920s, Marta Astfalck-Vietz, who collaborated with photographer Heinz Hajek-Halke on a series of experimental “Combi-Phots”, also created numerous self-portraits in varying settings and costumes, exploring themes of identity, performance, and theatricality. Much of her archive was lost during the 1943 bombing of Berlin, and her work remained largely forgotten until it was rediscovered by Janos Frecot, then head of the photography department at the Berlinische Galerie. A major retrospective followed in 1991. While most of her commercial photography is presumed lost, the surviving works were later donated to the Berlinische Galerie. – Minimal oxidation mirroring in edges, otherwise in very good condition.

Lit.: Janos Frecot , ed. Marta Astfalck-Vietz - Photographien 1922-1935. Berlin: Berlinische Galerie, 1991.

Berlin im Licht
Views of buildings illuminated for 'Berlin im Licht'
Los 4109

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
42.500€ (US$ 48,295)

Details

Photographer: Martin Höhlig (1882-1948). Views of buildings and locations in Berlin illuminated for the project “Berlin im Licht” 1928. 100 vintage, ferrotyped gelatin silver prints on ivory paper. Each circa 22,5 x 16,5 cm and 16,5 x 22,5 cm (Album: 25,5 x 36 cm). Some with number in lower right corner in the negative, inserted in album pages, each captioned in white crayon below the image on the mount. Presented in original full brown leather album with gilt-stamped title "Berlin im Licht" on front cover, in modern slipcase.

In collaboration with various business organizations and lighting companies - including AEG, Siemens & Halske, and Osram - the city of Berlin launched a visionary publicity campaign for electric light advertising and urban illumination under the slogan Berlin im Licht (Berlin Alight), held from October 13 to 16, 1928. The event attracted nationwide attention and was widely regarded as a celebration of modern urban life. Composer Kurt Weill even contributed a song titled "Berlin im Licht" for the occasion.
Already in the early 1920s, designer Walter Dexel had begun developing fluorescent lighting for advertising purposes. From 1926 onward, he worked in Frankfurt, designing illuminated signage that aimed to integrate harmoniously with architectural façades. His work included large-scale rooftop lettering, illuminated phone booths, and advertising columns - reflecting the growing interest in using electric light as both a functional and aesthetic element in architecture and marketing.
To document the Berlin im Licht initiative, more than one hundred night photographs were produced. These images, reflecting the principles of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement, capture a wide range of locations and lighting installations across the city. The collection offered here comprises a complete set of this photographic series - an important and rare visual record. Only a few such complete albums are known to exist, including one in the collection of the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, which was exhibited in 2008 and contains many of the photographs offered here.
The series includes views of modern commercial architecture, such as the department stores Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) and Michels & Cie. on Kurfürstendamm (both designed by Johann Emil Schaudt); the main branch of Michels & Cie. on Leipziger Straße; the furrier C.A. Herpich & Söhne on Leipziger Straße (Erich Mendelsohn); and several branch offices of Hermann Tietz (Hertie).
Further images document illuminated retail displays, signage, and advertising columns - including the Berlin im Licht column at Großer Stern and the well-known Persil column at Potsdamer Platz. Also represented are cinemas such as the Ufa-Pavillon at Nollendorfplatz (Oskar Kaufmann), the Ufa-Palast on Hardenbergstraße, and the Titania-Palast in Steglitz (Schoffler, Schlönbach & Jacobi). The album also includes hotels like the Excelsior near Anhalter Bahnhof (Otto Rehnig), and entertainment venues such as Potsdamer Platz with Haus Vaterland (Franz Schwechten) and the Columbia Tanz-Cabaret. – Slight toning in edges of album pages; binding edges and corners slightly rubbed with a few light surface scratches. All photographs with light pressure marks in corners from album slits, some with silver mirroring in edges and corners, some with light handling marks/creases, a few with surface scuff marks, otherwise most in good to very good condition.

Lit.: Franziska Nentwig, ed. Berlin im Licht. Berlin: Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, 2008, ill. pp. 2 and 224-236.
Fred Richter. Die Weltstadt im Licht: Berliner Nachtfotografien von Martin Höhlig aus den Jahren 1925 bis 1932. Quedlinburg: Edition Lichtblick, 2019, many illustrated.

Bruce of L.A.
Three winners of bodybuilding contest, Muscle Beach, Santa Monica: Charles Collras, Hossein Shokouh und Jerry Boily; Nude of John Manning
Los 4111

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
438€ (US$ 497)

Details

Three winners of bodybuilding contest, Muscle Beach, Santa Monica: Charles Collras, Hossein Shokouh und Jerry Boily; Nude of John Manning. 1958. 2 vintage gelatin silver prints, 1 ferrotyped. Each circa 25 x 20,5 cm. One with photographer’s stamp, both annotated in ink and pencil on the verso.

Bruce Bellas, widely known as Bruce of L.A., was a pioneering photographer of the male physique and nude form during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1956, he founded The Male Figure, a magazine dedicated to showcasing his work and that of fellow physique photographers. Bellas’ images stood out for their polished aesthetic, playful compositions, and often camp-inflected sensibility - blending eroticism, performance, and humor in ways that anticipated later queer visual culture. – Minimal edge wear, ferrotyped photo with slight surface irregularity, otherwise in good condition.

Bunge, Norbert
Ein Loch in der Mauer, Berlin-Kreuzberg
Los 4112

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
625€ (US$ 710)

Details

Ein Loch in der Mauer, Berlin-Kreuzberg. 1962. Gelatin silver print, printed later. 24,5 x 36,8 cm (30,3 x 40,5 cm). Signed, titled and dated by the photographer in pencil, as well as photographer's copyright stamp on the verso.

Norbert Bunge was active in the field of photography for over five decades, both as a freelance photojournalist and as a tireless advocate for the work of overlooked and historically significant photographers. Through his Berlin gallery, argus fotokunst, he curated numerous exhibitions, with a particular focus on socially engaged photography and the visual culture of East Germany. – A few small retouched spots, otherwise in excellent condition.

Lit.: Mathias Bertram, ed. Norbert Bunge. Fotografien. Lehmstedt: Leipzig 2017, ill. p. 14.

Christenberry, William
Green Warehouse, Newbern, Alabama
Los 4117

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
1.000€ (US$ 1,136)

Details

Green Warehouse, Newbern, Alabama. 1997. Pigment print, printed later. 28 x 35,5 cm (43,2 x 55,2 cm). Signed, titled, and dated in ballpoint pen on the verso.

A pioneer of Southern vernacular photography, William Christenberry developed a quietly powerful visual language rooted in the landscapes, architecture, and cultural memory of his native Alabama. Revisiting the same humble structures over decades, he documented their gradual decay with a profound sense of personal connection and historical awareness. Green Warehouse, Newbern, Alabama exemplifies his meditative approach - merging documentary clarity with painterly sensitivity and a deep reverence for place and passage of time. – Some light scuff marks, a few stains on margins of prints, otherwise in near excellent condition.

Deutsch-Ostafrika
Album of German East Africa
Los 4118 [*]

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
2.000€ (US$ 2,273)

Details

Album of German East Africa. Circa 1910. Circa 96 vintage gelatin silver prints. Each circa 8 x 10 cm and reverse. Mounted in brown album window mats, bound in contemporary linen canvas album (23 x 28 cm).

This album, likely compiled by a German colonial official or settler around 1910, offers a visual record of life in the territory of German East Africa (present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda) during the final years of German rule. The photographs include scenes of big-game hunting with displays of animal trophies, as well as depictions of local communities, traditional dwellings, and landscapes. While shaped by a colonial gaze, the images provide historical insight into the region’s social and environmental conditions during a period of foreign occupation. – Edges of album rubbed, some photos with foxing, some faded, otherwise most in good condition.

Dutton, Allen A.
Surrealistic collages: The Gobi Caravan; Sibo Lethum; Lustus Espiritus
Los 4120

Ergebnis (inkl. Aufgeld) ^*
625€ (US$ 710)

Details

Surrealistic collages: The Gobi Caravan; Sibo Lethum; Lustus Espiritus. 1972-73. 3 vintage gelatin silver prints. Each circa 20 x 24,5 cm (26 x 35,5 cm). Each signed, titled and dated by the photographer in felt-tip pen in lower right corner; annotated and monogrammed by the photographer in pencil on the verso.

Born in 1922 in Kingman, Arizona, Allen Dutton studied painting and sculpture at the Art Center School in Los Angeles. He held a variety of teaching posts in public schools in Arizona, before joining the art department at Phoenix College in 1960, where he taught photography and later served as head of the department until 1982. Between 1963-1964, he studied with Minor White and has acknowledged this time to be one of the greatest influences in his photographic development. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC. – One print with surface irregularity, all with some handling dents, slight buckling in edges, otherwise in good condition.