E.J. Bellocq: Storyville Portraits. Photographs from the New Orleans Red-Light District, Circa 1912
New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1979. Early Printing. Quarto, publisher's photo-illustrated stiff paper wraps.
"Bellocq—whoever he was—interests us not as an object of pity but as an artist: a man who saw more clearly than we do, and who discovered secrets... Seeing his pictures we are persuaded that he had knowledge of the nature of other human beings" (from the preface by photographer Lee Friedlander). Exhibition catalog for a MoMA show (November 19, 1970–Jan 10, 1971) of outsider American photographer E.J. Bellocq's posthumously published portraits. Celebrated for his images of prostitutes taken in the red-light district of New Orleans during the early 20th century, Bellocq's work did not become widely recognized until fellow photographer Lee Friedlander discovered 89 glass plate negatives in his desk 19 years after his death. illustrated with 34 black-and-white plates; accompanied by an introductory synthesis of four extensive interviews recorded by Lee Friedlander in 1969 with former acquaintances of Bellocq including a fellow photographer, several musicians, a writer, and a former prostitute who knew Bellocq personally. Edited by director of MoMA's photography department John Szarkowski. Fourth printing (originally published in 1970). Moderate edgewear to wraps. Very good. Item #12958
$65.00