Be-Hold


66 Main Street, #1013, Yonkers, New York 10701
914-423-5806

About Auction House

*Be-hold* has been selling important photographs for over 25 years. Our first specialty was early photographs that could be held in the hand rather than put on the wall. These included daguerreotypes (that would magically change as they were turned in the light) to stereo views that would become 3-dimensional images through the hand-held viewer, and cartes de visite and cabinet cards, often found in albums whose pages were turned by hand.

Auction Previews & News

2 Results
  • Children Playing in a Schoolyard in Late Fall or Winter, ¼ plate daguerreotype
    Auction Preview
    BH 69: Exciting Photographs – History and Art

    Daguerreotypes, made using the first commercial photographic process to be developed, were invented by Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (1787–1851). Each daguerreotype shows a detailed and sharp image on a silvered copper plate. Though daguerreotypes became extremely popular around the 1840s, they were very expensive; only the wealthy could afford to buy them. Although portraiture was the most popular use for them, daguerreotypes also captured still lifes, documentary subjects, and natural phenomena. Several daguerreotypes are highlighted in the upcoming Exciting Photographs - History and Art auction, offered by Be-Hold. A quarter-plate daguerreotype showing children playing in a schoolyard during late fall or winter stands out in this sale. The children, wearing smocks that are typical of the Quakers, play beside a horse at the base of a tree. A group of seven albumen prints belonging to a 19th century Scenes in Haiti album is another notable lot. Other available works include an 1863 print of Cathedrale de Moulins, Narthex by Charles Marville, as well as several vintage gelatin silver prints of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. To view the full catalog and register to bid, visit Invaluable.

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  • Be-Hold
    Auction Preview
    Photographs: Social History And Art

    For over 25 years, Be-Hold has been the place for important photographs that depict the history of America. Witness history again at their Photographs: Social History and Art Auction with early 20th-century vintage photographs.  The auction’s highlights include an early 20th century ‘Girl and Sunflower’ photograph from German-born American, Arnold Genthe and multiple pieces from Margaret Bourke-White including work depicting the Great Depression. Genthe, best known for his portraits of San Francisco’s Chinatown, is an internationally recognized photographer for working in the soft-focus pictorialism style. And Bourke-White, American born, is best known for her extensive contributions to photojournalism and insightful pictures of 1930s Russia, German Industry, and the impact of the Great Depression. And she is particularly known for her Life Magazine work. She was one of the original four photographers who launched the magazine. Also featured is ‘Black Flood Refugees’ by American photographer and photojournalist Russell Lee. Lee’s photographs, while he worked for the Farm Security Administration, hold a lot of historical value. His works depict human plight, socioeconomic dynamics, and the unique representational capabilities of photography. Be-Hold’s Auction also includes works of a French photographer Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud, Robert Frank, Leon Levinstein, Walker Evans, and many other 20th century photographers. Visit Auctionzip to view the entire catalog or to place a bid.

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  • Press Release
    34. Photography and Sculpture

    I’ve been thinking about this in connection with our show of vintage Herbert Matter photographs of Giacometti and his work (opening reception tomorrow, Saturday, 7 – 10 p.m.). But it was already on my mind because of looking at some great mid-19th century photographs of French cathedrals at the recent 19th Century show in NYC. Those photographs showed aspects of the cathedrals that were planned and labored over but could never be seen in that way by any worshipper, inhabitant of the location, or visitor. The artists who carved the details saw them from close, but could never see them from many different angles. Only certain views would be visible from the ground. Possibly while the cathedrals were being built certain vantage points could be found that were no longer available when the windows were installed and the construction completed. But aside from offering views on the cathedrals, these were masterpieces of photographic art, and all the elements of photography were employed fully—time of day and light, vantage point and framing, and all the arts of printing. Giacometti was one of the artists most widely photographed by the great photographers of the period. This was partly because he was a friend of many of them. But also his face and persona had a character that went along with his great art. Matter worked with Giacometti for many years to prepare for a book that would be the presentation of his work that was closest to Giacometti himself. Giacometti said that he learned things about his work from the photographs. These photographs from the Matter archive reveal some of the things Matter experimented with during the long period of their working together. Of course lighting was significant as Giacometti’s later sculptures incorporated numerous indentations from working with clay. This was a far cry from the smooth surfaces of the work of many of his contemporaries. Because there are several alternate versions of several of the subjects, we can see how Matter worked with illumination as well as printing. Some of the photographs were intentionally printed very light or very dark. Giacometti…

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