Medium: Gelatin Silver Print
Image Dimensions: 7 3/4 x 10 in (19.7 x 25.5 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 12 1/2 x 14 3/4 in (31.6 x 37.5 cm)
Signature and Inscription: Titled and dated "Coyotes, 1945" and signed "Frederick Sommer" on the verso

Description:
Dating from 1945, Coyotes belongs to one of the most distinctive bodies of imagery within Frederick Sommer's photographic practice. Several coyote remains are intertwined across the terrain, confronting mortality directly while simultaneously transforming the subject into a sophisticated investigation of form, material, and natural transformation.

The multiple bodies create an unusually complex composition. Skulls, limbs, exposed anatomical forms, and remnants of fur overlap and extend in different directions, establishing a dense visual rhythm throughout the image. Against the dark ground, the lighter surfaces of bone and weathered tissue emerge with remarkable clarity.

The expressive tonal range of the gelatin silver medium heightens the contrasting textures of bone, fur, earth, and stone. Through Sommer's disciplined framing, the disturbing immediacy of the subject gradually gives way to an almost Surrealist arrangement of line and form, demonstrating his remarkable ability to discover visual order within unconventional material.

Titled and dated "Coyotes, 1945" and signed "Frederick Sommer" on the verso, the photograph combines a highly characteristic subject, strong authorial documentation, and an especially compelling multi-figure composition, giving it significant appeal for collectors of twentieth-century American and experimental photography.