Roger P. Leavitt (American, 1897 to 1960). Street Scene. Bromoil Transfer, ca. 1920. Artist's signature handwritten in pencil beneath image. An early photograph of a street scene by Roger P. Leavitt of the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York. The darkened image depicts a city street of the early 20th century, seemingly during or after a rainstorm with the glowing streetlights reflecting off the dampened street and sidewalks. A church steeple towers above to the right, while a row of cars is parked to the left; the front vehicle facing the viewer with its circular headlights diversifying the largely linear composition. An antique label on the verso indicates that this piece was exhibited as part of the First Annual Michigan Tech Camera Club Exhibit of Salon Prints on May 26th to 27th, 1939 at the Michigan Tech Electrical Show in Houghton, Michigan. Size of photo: 9.6" W x 11.3" H (24.4 cm x 28.7 cm) Size of matte: 16" W x 20" H (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm)

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, Denver, Colorado, USA

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#174111

Artist's signature beneath image. Mounted to paperboard with minor bending to corners that does not affect image. Artist name, company, and piece medium handwritten in pencil on verso, as well as "Ginny Williams Collection" label and old exhibition label. Photograph is in excellent overall condition.