Original Studio Portrait Photograph of a Male Sittter by Dorothy Wilding

Dorothy Wilding.

Dorothy Wilding Camera Portraits. London. [c.1930s.] Original monochrome photograph mounted onto white Japan tissue with printed signature, then onto a black intermount visible through tissue, then onto ivory textured card; original Dorothy Wilding label to verso, numbered 07022 A. Photograph size - 207 x 157mm; mount size - 380 x 246mm. English. 380 x 246mm. 0.1kg. . Very good; light marks to lower edge of large mount card, slight toning to edges of photographs; light marks to verso of card.

Dorothy Wilding was one of the most successful portrait photographers of the early half of the twentieth century, occupying a studio on Bond Street for many years, as well as a space in New York. Her blend of stylised modern compositions and ease of manner meant a steady stream of society figures came through her studio, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Queen Elizabeth and the Princesses. The present photograph is of a moustachioed man in three-piece suit and tie, with one hand raised in thought and another resting on a generic book. The photograph is mounted in the studio's trade-mark style and the label on the back has the address as 22 Bond Street. Wilding was forced out of No. 22 when it was destroyed in the Blitz in 1940, placing this image in the 1930s. Wilding was a hugely successful businesswoman and photographer in her day, thankfully her talent is again being recognised.

[Further reading: Dorothy Wilding. The Pursuit of Perfection, Terence Pepper, National Portrait Gallery, 1991]