One photograph: Three 20th Century Icons
A remarkable find from a family in Merseyside which has been entered for our April 19th Welsh Sale (Part II) auction linking three 20th Century icons from three disciplines; architecture, journalism and photography.
Lot 257
EDWARD STEICHEN (1879-1973) gelatin silver contact print - half-portrait photograph of the most famous of all American architects (with Welsh ancestry), Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), the back of the photograph signed by Lloyd Wright and dedicated 'To Gareth Jones' being the renown Welsh journalist Gareth Richard Vaughan Jones (1905-1935), also on the back of the photograph the New York studio stamp of Edward Steichen and annotation by Jones requesting that the photograph is returned untouched to his father Edgar Jones at their home address in Barry, South Wales, dated Los (Angeles) 1931', 23 x 18cms
£500-1000
Edward Steichen, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gareth Jones
Edward Steichen (the photographer)
This half-portrait photograph was taken by Edward Steichen (1879-1973), the Luxembourg-born American photographer who was one of the most influential figures in 20th Century photography. One of the highest paid, Steichen worked for such pioneering magazines as Vogue and Vanity Fair. Famous portrait sitters for Streichen included Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo and J P Morgan.
Frank Lloyd Wright (the architect and sitter)
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) is the most famous of all American architects, who just happened to have Welsh ancestry! Wright transformed modern architecture with his philosophy of “organic architecture,” which aimed to harmonize buildings with their natural surroundings.
Born in Richland Center, he designed more than 1,000 structures over his long career, emphasizing open floor plans, natural materials, and strong horizontal lines inspired by the American landscape.
Among his most famous works are Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Wright’s innovative designs and commitment to integrating architecture with nature made him one of the most influential architects of the 20th century
Steichen took some of the most well-known photographs of Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, Wright' famous home in Wisconsin. This image became one of the most iconic portraits of the architect and has been widely reproduced in books and museum collections.
Gareth Jones (the journalist and previous owner)
The back of the photograph is signed by Lloyd Wright and dedicated 'To Gareth Jones'. And that's Gareth Jones the renown Welsh journalist, full name Gareth Richard Vaughan Jones (1905-1935) who is best known for reporting on the Holodomor, the devastating famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932-33.
Initially, Jones' reports were met with skepticism and resistance but over time his reporting was recognized as accurate and courageous. In 1935, Jones was kidnapped and murdered in Inner Mongolia under mysterious circumstances. It is suspected that there was Soviet involvement in the murder but it has never been proven.
This remarkably historic photograph is to be offered in our Welsh Sale auction on April 19th with an estimate of £500-1000. Please enquire for further details.
