ANONYMOUS Untitled (Slide Film Image of Bound and Blindfolded Man), c. 1940s Gelatin silver print; variously stamped and annotated in unidentified hands on the reverse, framed. 8 x 10in Footnotes: From Diane Keaton's bedroom in her Sullivan Canyon home. Note The present image was made for an industrial film produced by Jamison 'Jam' Handy, who harnessed the power of the still image for use in promotional and training films for American salesmen. In 1993, Diane Keaton published Mr. Salesman, a curated compilation of Handy's images that highlights his contributions to the mechanism of the film strip. 'Mr. Salesman's faceless stare reminds me of the utopian promise Southern California held out to those of us who grew up in the 1950's, watching treeless streets of identical houses shoot up as thousands of acres of orange groves were simultaneously mowed down,' Keaton wrote in a 1993 editorial for The New York Times. 'Those were the days when everyone believed conflict could be overcome by owning an RCA Victor console television set, a Philco washer and dryer and a Blue Boy swimming pool.' The Jam Handy repertoire was as nuanced as it was direct: advertising was riddled with subliminal messaging, and these images were no different. 'At first glance, I thought the photographs were funny, because the selling tools -- maps, charts, briefcases, diagrams -- possess more personality than the men,' noted Keaton. 'That they were of indeterminate origin only added to their value. The photo at left [the present lot], for instance, may once have been a car promotion. 'Don't be blind to the virtues of Chevrolet,' the prospective buyer may have been urged. Who knows for sure? Out of context, though, the image becomes a wry commentary on our misbegotten faith in the rewards of heaven and earth.' (Diane Keaton, The New York Times, 'Hard Sell', 1993) Literature Keaton, Diane, ed., Mr. Salesman. Twin Palms Publishers, Santa Fe, 1993; Keaton, Diane. The New York Times, 'Hard Sell', 07 November 1993, p. 50. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ¤ ¤ Unless indicated by the ¤ symbol next to the lot number (or bearing an explicit statement such as 'No Reserve' or 'Without Reserve'), which denotes no reserve, all lots in the catalog are subject to a reserve. The reserve is the minimum hammer price that the seller is willing to accept for a lot. This amount is confidential and does not exceed the low estimate value. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing