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CLAUDE CAHUN (French, 1894-1954) MILITARY TAILORS stamped "184A" on verso vintage gelatin silver pri

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
CLAUDE CAHUN (French, 1894-1954) MILITARY TAILORS stamped  184A  on verso vintage gelatin silver pri
CLAUDE CAHUN (French, 1894-1954) MILITARY TAILORS stamped "184A" on verso vintage gelatin silver print 4 x 3 in. (10.2 x 7.6 cm) 1936 ESTIMATE: $5,000-7,000 PROVENANCE Collection of Docteur FerdiFre, PARIS Gallery 1900-2000, PARIS Private Collection, North America LITERATURE Frantois Leperlier, CLAUDE CAHUN: L'+CART ET LA M+TAMORPHOSE, Paris, 1992, p. 208 (variant illustrated) Heike Ander and Dirk Snauwaert, eds., CLAUDE CAHUN: BILDER, Munich, 1997, p. 134, no. 246 (illustrated) This atypical Cahun photograph must have been an instinctual snapshot upon the artist's discovery of this odd window display and presents her interest in the truly bizarre elements of our world. Strong opposing political agendas continued to intensify in Europe during the interwar period of the 1930s, with the foreboding presence and development of the Nazi party. It seems strange, therefore, that the window for the "Military Tailors" would be designed with humorously arranged animals, one of which (the alligator) is standing on its hind legs and holds a platter being invaded by another character in the scene. This jarring and amusing juxtaposition is illustrated without the labor involved in creating a collage. The window display is a Surrealist installation in itself. Therefore, although Cahun (born Lucy Schwob), was known for her explorations of gender and sexuality in the realm of the Surrealist movement, she also shared the common interest in documenting the bizarre, whether it was constructed or simply part of the everyday world. Cahun became active in the Surrealist movement in Paris in the 1930s and collaborated with its leader, AndrT Breton. She was a woman of great strength who established herself in the Surrealist world, despite its misogyny and frequent insistence on heterosexuality. Cahun was also an active Communist with an interest in politics and an idea of a proletariat revolution for the cause of an egalitarian society. Due to the eclecticism and power of her varying interests and experiences, this rare piece may have been a means for Cahun to explore subjects other than gender and sexuality.