John F. Collins (American, 1888-1990). Bromoil gelatin silver print photograph, 1927. A striking photograph of the Corona typewriter by John F. Collins, an American photographer who elevated advertising photography to an art form in the 1920s. In this photograph, Collins employs text and image as well as an intense contrast between light and dark in his effort to glorify the Corona typewriter which played an important role during the Machine Age of his time. Rays of light rise from the typewriter to the boldface "CORONA" above. Throughout the 1920s, Collins used avant-garde photography to zoom in on modern tools of technology with a studio camera of his own design that he called Big Bertha, oftentimes creating a visual sacred aura to elevate his subjects as we see in this photo of the Corona typewriter. The fact that the sun's corona is typically visible only during a total solar eclipse, when it is seen as a halo-like glow surrounding the darkened moon was clearly not lost upon Collins. Size of sight view: 10.125" L x 11.375" W (25.7 cm x 28.9 cm) Size of matte: 16" L x 20" W (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm)

John F. Collins was part of the first generation of 20th century American photographers - along with Edward Steichen, Charles Sheeler, and others - who employed avant-garde ideas into their commercial work and saw no distinction between fine and applied photography, much like the Bauhaus and Constructivist photographers in Europe. "Collins's work was usually simple, elegant, refined in conception and highly dramatic. The pictures emphasized Cubist flattened space, overlapping planes of light, vigorous and subtle tones and textures, to accentuate boldly the forms of the objects, which were treated as abstract shapes. Collins's powerful graphic images called attention to the uniqueness of each object, emphasizing 'the thing itself.' This was the core and heart of avant-garde photography of the 1920s." ("John F. Collins Photographs 1904-1946" Photofind Gallery Inc. 1987)

This photograph was in the collection of pioneering patron of the arts, Ginny Williams. Sotheby's hosted a series of auctions featuring art and photography in the Ginny Williams Collection in June and July of 2020. Their press release began as follows, "Born in rural Virginia in 1927, Ginny moved to Denver, Colorado in the late 1950s with her husband, Carl Williams. An avid photographer herself, who studied with Austrian-American photojournalist and photographer Ernst Haas, her collecting journey began with classical figurative photography. Her passion and keen eye eventually prompted her to open her namesake gallery in Denver in the 1980s. While her passion for photography never waned, remaining a primary focus of both her gallery and private collection, her voracious curiosity quickly widened her curatorial focus. Over time, Ginny became increasingly courageous and experimental in her selections, venturing into Abstract Expressionism and Contemporary Art and following her artists themselves through gallery shows and museum exhibitions. As the years passed, Ginny became as much of a trailblazer as the artists she collected."

Provenance: private Idledale, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Ginny Williams Collection of Denver, Colorado

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#171274

Photograph is excellent save a few minor scuffs that are difficult to see. Stamped John F. Collins Sr. on verso. In addition, "1927 Vintage" and "pg. 329" (suggesting this photo may have been published) are handwritten on verso.