Photograph Auction

Arnaud Delas is an established specialist in the world of photographs, with particular interest in 19th and 20th century themes of travel, exploration, science, portraiture and nudes. Arnaud is running two online auctions a year on the 25 Blythe Road website www.25BlytheRoad.com under the title Arnaud Delas – Photographs.

Included in the forthcoming auction is work by Brassai, including a silver print of a cyclist at The Velodrome. Paris, circa 1940. Also albumen prints of an engineer’s designs for a Bridge over the Channel from the Channel Bridge and Railway Company, circa 1870. Among 19th and early 20th century images of overseas, an albumen photograph of the Great Wall of China, salt prints of Egypt, lantern slides of Burma and a carbon print of the Matterhorn and other destinations are part of the sale. Closer to home, albumen prints of the building of the District Line, London, circa 1865 provide an insight into early tube construction.

Photographs of well-known 20th century figures include John F Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Winston Churchill and revolutionaries Fidel Castro and Che Quevara. Cecil Beaton’s portrait of Noel Coward and his haunting pictures of a bombed London will be included. There will also be a family album with informal photographs of some of the Mitford sisters. From travel, social, architectural, and historical subjects as well as the aesthetic there is something appealing for all collectors. Prices range from £50 - £5,000.

Delas has made significant discoveries in his career, including a previously unknown image of Arthur Rimbaud taken at Sheikh Othman circa 1883 and recently catalogued the important photographic collection of paper negatives by Felix Teynard from his expedition to Egypt 1851 – 1852, a single image from this group achieved 155,000 Euros.