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Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 4,500
BOB ADELMAN (1930-2016) Civil rights demonstrators are sprayed with water in Birmingham, Alabama. Silver print, the image measuring 11 7/8x17 inches (30.2x43.2 cm.), with Adelman's credit in pencil on verso. 1963; printed circa 1970
Bob Adelman volunteered as a photographer for the Congress of Racial Equality in the early 1960s, and the position gave him access to key figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. His work is now iconic, capturing the strife and difficulty of the period, including a close-up of King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech, the march on Selma, sit-ins, and demonstrations. This image of protesters being ambushed by water in Birmingham, Alabama captured the scene with both accuracy and emotive power. Mr. Adelman told the New York Times that getting these images, which were used to recruit, raise money, and as evidence, was worth the risk to his life. "I shot with one eye on the lens, one eye on history, and my heart was with the movement" (Black & White magazine).
