21 April 2016. 21 April 1860. One of the very first photography auctions was held exactly 156 years ago to the day. It comprised two lots: the apparatus and prints of Gustave le Gray, along with his debts. There was a single bidder – well, two partners in fact, the Marquis de Briges and his brother, the photographer’s financial backers who had eventually pushed him into bankruptcy and had come to collect their rewards. Alexandre Dumas published a subdued article in his journal, the dark humour barely perceptible and eluding the observers’ wisdom.
We tend to think that the photography market dates back to the 1980s, referring to such or such a sale as the first. Here are the reproductions of a few remarkable sales catalogues, including one from 1915, mainly covering France and the English-speaking world, and which should be duly completed.
Gustave Le Gray’s prints sold by candle auction in 1860 had not been seen since but a clue emerged 156 years later, on 5 February this year – the day that Agatha of Sicily is commemorated – when a set of intense black prints resurfaced. They are currently being classified and the catalogue will be available before summer. A date for your diary: 27 October 2016 for a quite remarkable auction.
