Beschreibung:

Lot of 15 gelatin silver prints taken in the Ditko-Stanton studio in 1959, eleven with white borders and deckled edges measuring 3.5" x 5", four with plain white borders measuring 2.5" x 3.5". The photographer is unknown, but it's likely that Stanton and/or Ditko took at least some of the photos. Generally excellent condition, some with black marker crossings-out on versos, each photo with " © Eric Stanton Estate" written on the verso. Two sets of prints were made in 1959: this set, which belonged to Eric Stanton and an incomplete set which belonged to Steve Ditko Several of Stanton's photos have a photo finisher's date of "November 1959" printed in the margins, and several of Ditko's photos have a photo finisher's date of "October 1959" printed in the margins. Ditko's incomplete set now belongs to his brother, Patrick Ditko, who donated one photo from the set to a prominent archive of comic-related photos, and is keeping the remaining photos for the Ditko family. The present lot is the only complete set of Ditko-Stanton photos in existence, and the only set that will be offered to the public. Provenance: From the personal archives of Amber Stanton, Eric Stanton's daughter. This set of 15 photos was taken in the studio that Steve Ditko and Eric Stanton shared in NYC's Hell's Kitchen (according to Ditko's obituary in The Comics Journal , the two artists shared a studio from 1958 to 1968, although it's been claimed elsewhere that the studio dissolved in 1966). The studio was located at 43rd Street and 8th Avenue, and it has become the stuff of Ditko legend. Eric Stanton said that he helped Ditko to create Spider-Man during a brainstorming session in the studio, and his influence on Ditko's art and ideas is a subject of increasing interest to Ditkophiles. The photos were apparently taken in September, 1959 (the "COMIC'S WIFE SLAIN" headline in one of the photos pertains to the deaths of gangster Augie Pisano and Janice Drake on Sept. 25, 1959). Of the fifteen photos in this set, three feature Steve Ditko seven feature Eric Stanton and five feature Ditko and Stanton together. A number of these photos have been reproduced in various books, including Taschen's Marvel Comics Library: Spider-Man Vol. 1, 1962–1964 , Richard Pérez Seves' Eric Stanton and the History of the Bizarre Underground , and Craig Yoe's The Creativity of Ditko. Taken as a whole, these photos comprise an unparalleled record of Steve Ditko's professional life shortly before he entered the most artistically fruitful period of his career. "This is one of only three or four photographs of the elusive Steve Ditko known to exist. And trust me, I've spent an inordinate amount of time searching for others." — Jonathan Ross, discussing one of these photos in his BBC documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko , 2007. "He never liked getting his picture taken, and dodged any and all attempts by Lee (or anyone else) to include him in a photo of the then-fledgling Marvel Bullpen." — Greg Theakston on Steve Ditko "The Mystery Behind the Man." Wizard #124, Jan. 2002. "Ditko has long been thought of as the J.D. Salinger of the comics world.... Only a few public photographs are known to exist of him, the last taken in his dingy Hell’s Kitchen studio 53 years ago." — Reed Tucker, "The Secret Hero of Spider-Man. New York Post online, 7/3/12. Enjoying the Spidey Sale? Order a fully-illustrated softcover catalogue for 30 bucks. Only about 100 copies were printed and they're going fast. To reserve a copy, contact PBA's Director of Comics: [email protected] Consign to PBA Galleries. Our comic sales average a 98% sell-through rate, our prices realized are top-of-the-market, and our research-intensive catalogues are the best in the business. Seeking Silver Age Marvel, Golden Age superheroes, and pre-Code horror. Contact [email protected]