Medium: Gelatin Silver Print
Image Dimensions: 8 1/8 x 10 in (20.5 x 25.3 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 12 1/2 x 14 3/4 in (31.7 x 37.5 cm)
Signature and Inscription: Signed by Frederick Sommer and titled and dated "Coyotes, 1941" on the verso

Description:
Dating from 1941, Coyotes represents one of the most compelling themes within Frederick Sommer's early photographic practice. Several coyote remains are arranged across the dark terrain, their bodies, fur, and exposed forms becoming part of a densely structured composition. Rather than treating mortality merely as documentary subject matter, Sommer transforms the scene into an intense meditation on form, material, and the natural cycle of decay.

The pale fur emerges dramatically against the dark ground, while overlapping bodies create a complex rhythm across the image. Rich blacks and sharply articulated highlights demonstrate the expressive potential of the gelatin silver medium, giving extraordinary presence to fur, bone, earth, and surrounding organic matter. The photograph consequently moves between direct observation and the unsettling visual ambiguity associated with Sommer's Surrealist sensibility.

Mortality and the transformation of organic matter occupied an important place in Sommer's early imagery. Here, an unconventional subject is transformed through disciplined composition and tonal control into an image of remarkable formal sophistication.

Signed by Frederick Sommer and titled and dated "Coyotes, 1941" on the verso, the photograph combines an early date, characteristic subject matter, and strong authorial documentation, giving it notable appeal for collectors of twentieth-century American and experimental photography.