Fred G. Korth (American, born in Germany, 1902-1983). Gelatin silver print, ca. 1940s. A striking black and white photograph of downtown Chicago at night by the legendary photographer, Fred G. Korth, featuring wonderful Jazz Age neon signs and billboards. In addition to the National Bus Depot and the Hotel Sherman, notice signage for the Aragon Trianon Ballroom. The Aragon, built by the Karzas brothers, was designed to transport visitors to another world upon entry with a courtyard resembling that of a Moorish castle as well as palm trees and twinkling lights creating the effect that dancers were under a night sky. Just one of the landmarks Korth captured in his fascinating scene, replete with impressive artistry as well as historical value. Size: 11" L x 13.875" W (27.9 cm x 35.2 cm)

"Fred G. Korth was born in Guben, Germany in 1902 and went to school in Berlin. In 1926 he emigrated to Chicago, USA and learned photography. By the end of the 1920s he was a member of the Dearborn Camera Club and his photographs were exhibited in the 1930s in photo salons in the United States and abroad (especially Japan, Vienna and Madrid). In 1932 he opened his own studio in Chicago and worked until the mid 1960s for major American magazines such as 'National Geographic', 'Newsweek', 'Fortune', 'Holiday', 'Look' and 'Popular Mechanics'. He photographed the 1933 World's fair in Chicago and exhibited widely in photographic salons throughout the 1930s. At the same time he worked as an industrial/advertising photographer for large American companies such as US Steel, Quaker Oats, Abbott Laboratories etc. In 1949 he self-published a book on Chicago and his photographs were published throughout his career in photographic year books in the US and Europe. Korth retired in 1965. His work is held in numerous collections in the United states including the J Paul Getty Museum, LA; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and George Eastman House, Rochester, USA." (Berlanga Fine Art)

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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#171286

Photo is in excellent condition. Fred Korth's stamp on the verso reads "Photograph by FRED G. KORTH CHICAGO PLEASE CREDIT".