Lot 636
Aurora Studios: Outstanding Collection of 70+ Original 1913-15 Nudes Found Recently in Crawlspace of Historic Beverly Hills Home. Aurora Studios in the early 20th Century created a series of black and white "Fine Art Female Nudes" that posed models in neo-classical environments and poses. These photographs were silver gelatin prints printed on double weight paper and were available in a variety of sizes. Orders were discretely filled by their sending "proof" cards, each with 20 images which the purchaser selecting by sheet number and serial number. This collection was found very recently in an historic home designed by Richard Kieffer on Rexford Drive. What is remarkable, the home has remained unchanged for 90 years and was only recently acquired by the original family with many of the original furniture pieces/books remaining. In exploring nooks and crannies, the new family discovered in a somewhat sealed crawlspace was this collection of fine art nudes.
To that end, quite a few of the photos have chipping, some water damage, border tears, and cracks. But the great majority have survived nicely. It was decided to keep all the pieces found together in this lot. Even those damaged have great appeal due in fact to their evidence of age and condition issues. Also included are two of the proof cards which are evidently very rare. It is not uncommon to find Aurora Studios photos to sell from $60 to $150 each. So in spite of the mixed condition, this remains quite the collection. Check out the other lot of photos in this auction found at this home; "75 Antique Photographs from Italy". Estimated Value $800 - 1,500
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| Realized $1,339 |
