Day, F. Holland, and Gelett Burgess

[Day, F. Holland- Original Platinum Print of Gelett Burgess, Signed by Burness and Frank S. Birchall Placed as Frontispiece in Burgess' Book, "Vivette"]F. Holland Day / Burgess Photograph (Platinum Print Association)

Boston: Copeland & Day, 1897.

First Edition. Original salmon-colored embossed cloth. Exceptional association platinum print by F. Holland Day affixed on the verso of the half-title of Gelett Burgess drawing a GOOP character which he invented, signed by Burgess and additionally by Frank S. Birchall, Dayís principal photographic printer. Small format (3 3/4 ◊ 5 1/2 inches), but of remarkable importance: Dayís original platinum prints are among the rarest survivals in American pictorialist photography, many having been destroyed in the catastrophic 1904 fire at his Norwood studio, which obliterated a substantial portion of his negatives and prints. Surviving prints are consequently scarce and disproportionately represented in institutional collections, notably the Library of Congress and the Royal Photographic Society.

This example is further elevated by its literary and social context. Burgessópublisher, wit, and central figure in Bostonís avant-garde circle surrounding Copeland & Dayóreportedly issued a small number of privately distributed photographs of himself by Day, signed and given out in conjunction with promotional or semi-private gatherings tied to his publications. While documentation is fragmentary, references to such bespoke photographic insertions align with Dayís known practice of producing intimate, limited presentation prints for his circle. As well, Day's own copy of "Vivette" with the same print affixed on verso of half-title, appears in the collection of a notable F. Holland Day collector.

Birchallís signature is of particular significance: as Dayís master printer, he was responsible for executing the technically demanding platinum prints that define Dayís tonal subtlety and surface refinement. Signed examples by both sitter and printer are exceedingly uncommon. Near fine.

Price: $4,850.00   Item #7071