Leslie Ragan, New York / The Upper Bay from Lower Manhattan, 1935.
Leslie Ragan
1897-1972
New York / The Upper Bay from Lower Manhattan. 1935.
Lithograph poster.
An intriguing and dramatic bird's-eye view of Battery Park, with New York harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New Jersey visible in the background. The view is, in fact, based on a photograph taken by Percy Loomis Sperr from the Observation Deck of the Cities Service Building, 70 Pine Street, in Manhattan's financial district. The building, also referred to as 60 Wall Tower, was constructed between 1930 and 1932. "[Ragan's] work exemplified the American taste for realistic depiction while highlighting the natural environment for dramatic effect . . . Ragan's sense of composition and refined wash technique made his best images burst with reflected light. . . [his] cityscapes were particularly noteworthy for their dramatic perspective and powerful massing of Deco-styled skyscrapers. Appropriately, his New York City images best communicated the sense of dynamic rhythm and energy emblematic of the skyscraper age" (Zega, p. 95ff). An early 1940s photograph by Andreas Feininger was also shot from virtually this exact vantage point (see next lot).
Zega 127, Metzl p. 157, New York p. 70.
39 1/2 x26 in. (100 1/2 x66 cm.) Latham Litho. Co., Long Island City.
Additional Details
Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.
Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.
Buyer's Premium
32% up to
$100,000.00
27% up to
$1,000,000.00
17% above
$1,000,000.00
Leslie Ragan
1897-1972
New York / The Upper Bay from Lower Manhattan. 1935.
Lithograph poster.
An intriguing and dramatic bird's-eye view of Battery Park, with New York harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New Jersey visible in the background. The view is, in fact, based on a photograph taken by Percy Loomis Sperr from the Observation Deck of the Cities Service Building, 70 Pine Street, in Manhattan's financial district. The building, also referred to as 60 Wall Tower, was constructed between 1930 and 1932. "[Ragan's] work exemplified the American taste for realistic depiction while highlighting the natural environment for dramatic effect . . . Ragan's sense of composition and refined wash technique made his best images burst with reflected light. . . [his] cityscapes were particularly noteworthy for their dramatic perspective and powerful massing of Deco-styled skyscrapers. Appropriately, his New York City images best communicated the sense of dynamic rhythm and energy emblematic of the skyscraper age" (Zega, p. 95ff). An early 1940s photograph by Andreas Feininger was also shot from virtually this exact vantage point (see next lot).
Zega 127, Metzl p. 157, New York p. 70.
39 1/2 x26 in. (100 1/2 x66 cm.) Latham Litho. Co., Long Island City.
Additional Details
Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.
Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.
Buyer's Premium
32% up to
$100,000.00
27% up to
$1,000,000.00
17% above
$1,000,000.00
