NEW YORK CULTURAL NETWORKS

Abbott, Berenice (1898–1991)

Bernice Abbott: Photographs From Two Series [Muriel Rukeyser Association] [Ben Raeburn Association Copy]

Bronxville, New York, Sarah Lawrence College Gallery, 1978.
WHEN PHOTOGRAPHY, POETRY, AND NEW YORK PUBLISHING BRIEFLY OCCUPIED THE SAME ROOM.
A documentary exhibition catalogue linking Berenice Abbott’s New York photography and scientific imagery with the literary and intellectual circle surrounding poet Muriel Rukeyser. This copy carries unusual association value through the laid-in Sarah Lawrence College librarian’s letter addressed to Horizon Press publisher Ben Raeburn, thanking him for providing a copy of ‘Abbott, Berenice – Photographs’ and inviting him to the Muriel Rukeyser writing conference and accompanying exhibition.

Issued in conjunction with exhibitions held at Sarah Lawrence College Gallery and the State University College at New Paltz between late 1978 and early 1979, the catalogue reflects the renewed institutional interest in Abbott’s documentary and scientific photography during the period immediately preceding the major revival of her critical reputation.

The text by Susan Dodge Peters explores Abbott’s collaborations and intellectual relationships with Elizabeth McCausland and Muriel Rukeyser, positioning the photographer within broader conversations about science, modernism, documentary realism, and visual communication.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Stapled textured cardstock wrappers. Quarto format, 7 by 8.5 inches; 24 pages. Illustrated exhibition catalogue printed in typescript and offset format. Errata sheet laid-in. Accompanied by original typed letter on Sarah Lawrence College Library stationery dated November 26, 1978, signed by librarian Lucien Burstein, addressed to Ben Raeburn at Horizon Press, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York. Also includes a mimeographed directions sheet for the exhibition venue.

CONDITION: Moderate handling wear to wrappers with mild edge rubbing and light scattered toning. Staples sound. Errata sheet present as issued.  Mimeograph directions sheet shows heavy toner transfer and typical duplication wear. A well-preserved association grouping with laid-in ephemeral material seldom retained.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Berenice Abbott remains one of the defining photographers of twentieth-century America, best known for ‘Changing New York’ and her pioneering scientific photography. This exhibition reflects a late-1970s scholarly reassessment of her broader work, particularly her engagement with science, documentary realism, and public communication.

The catalogue’s discussion of Abbott’s relationships with critic Elizabeth McCausland and poet Muriel Rukeyser places the exhibition within the wider intellectual world of mid-century New York literary and artistic culture. That context is strengthened by the laid-in letter to Horizon Press publisher Ben Raeburn, linking the piece directly to one of the central figures in independent American publishing.

The survival of the accompanying errata sheet, institutional correspondence, and mimeographed directions substantially enhances the archival appeal, preserving the exhibition not merely as a catalogue, but as a compact documentary record of photography, literary culture, and New York publishing history.

Subjects: Berenice Abbott, Muriel Rukeyser, Ben Raeburn, Horizon Press, Photography Exhibitions, Documentary Photography, Scientific Photography, Sarah Lawrence College, New York Literary Culture, Elizabeth McCausland, Photography History, American Modernism, Exhibition Ephemera, Association Copies, Photography, Exhibition Catalogues, Literary Ephemera, Modernist Culture.

Item #22039

Price: $145.00