Hannah Shapiro
Cataloguer & Sale Coordinator
Photojournalism in Focus: The Collection of Steve and Martha Smith
Lot 93
Jerry Uelsmann(1934-2022)'Equivalent'
7 – 17 July 2025, 12:00 EDT
Online, New YorkSold for US$1,536 inc. premium
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Kelly Sidley
Head of Department
Lucie Kessler
Specialist, Head of Sale
Jerry Uelsmann (1934-2022)
'Equivalent', 1964
Gelatin silver print, printed later; mounted, initialed, titled, and dated in pencil on the mount, signed, titled, and dated in ink and the photographer's 'Gainsville, Florida' mailing label on the reverse, framed.
13 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (33.7 x 24.1 cm.)
mount 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm.)
Gelatin silver print, printed later; mounted, initialed, titled, and dated in pencil on the mount, signed, titled, and dated in ink and the photographer's 'Gainsville, Florida' mailing label on the reverse, framed.
13 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (33.7 x 24.1 cm.)
mount 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm.)
Footnotes
Note
Bonhams is honored to offer a multitude of timeless and captivating images from the Collection of Steve and Martha Smith.
Steve Smith – a cameraman, filmmaker, author, and avid photographs collector – grew up in a family of amateur photographers. Like many Americans in the 1950's, his family subscribed to Life Magazine, where Steve was introduced to the work of W. Eugene Smith, whose images would inform his lifelong collecting practices. Growing up in the Bay Area among military families, Steve inhaled tales of World War II which inspired a fascination with all things related to the Pacific Ocean.
In college, Steve majored in Technical Theater and discovered a love for lighting, which heightened his interest in W. Eugene Smith's masterful use of tonality. After graduation, he became a lighting cameraman, traveling the world on various assignments and earning five Emmy awards. Though his professional livelihood depended on moving images, Steve always carried a Domke bag stuffed with Nikons. He enjoyed shooting and printing, both in practice and in profession.
Steve and Martha travelled the world together and on location, when they weren't working, sought out galleries in every city they visited. Steve particularly admired the Old (photographic) Masters — Paul Strand, Walker Evans, Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and especially Andre Kertesz — all of whom are represented in the collection he and Martha built. In their various homes, they surrounded themselves with this trove of beloved images, each emblematic of the extraordinary life they shared together.
