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Estimate: $ 9,000 - $ 12,000
SMITH, W. EUGENE (1918-1978) Albert Schweitzer. Silver print, 10 1/4x13 inches (26x33 cm.), with Smith's New York hand stamp on mount verso. 1949; printed early to mid-1950s
W. Eugene Smith's portrait of the noted theologian, philosopher, and medical missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer depicts him under the great weight of thought. His hair, thick and gray, is the abstract highlight of this intimate study. Schweitzer was known his medical work in West Africa, heralded for his selfless devotion and ridiculed for what some saw as his patronizing presence. Smith was associated with absolute devotion to his craft, and emerging as America's premier photojournalist. Although the portrait is ostensibly of Schweitzer, two great figures have come together to create an iconic image.
This image originally appeared in LIFE Magazine on July 25, 1949. Master of the Photographic Essay: W. Eugene Smith, 55.
