Fine Arts Valuation Dissertations

The aims of this investigation into the second hand market for the work of the photographer Madame Yevonde, are as follows: -

1. To provide an insight into the status of photography today within the art world.

2. To show women's contribution to the art of photography and their status today.

3. To establish the popularity of Madame Yevonde during her career and today.

4. To report on the second hand market for the work of Madame Yevonde, and analyse prices realised with regards to the aforementioned points.

The method of research in achieving the above aims was to primarily discover if the photographs of Madame Yevonde had ever come up for sale at auction. This was done by interviewing relevant authorities and searching catalogues. Secondly in order to establish other aspects of her market I wrote to museums, galleries and dealers. Access to archives proved successful allowing acquisition receipts to be examined (though prices and sources were withheld in all instances). Secondary research included Art Index, Internet, relevant publications of journals, newspapers and books. These were to be found at the Collindale Library, the British Art Library, the Godden Collection, inter-library loans service, CD Rom and The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Archive.

To conclude I found that the issues explored had a definite bearing on the market for Yevonde's work. Within the realms of the photography market in general, the slow acceptance of photography as an art, photographers as artists and a serious lack of acknowledgment of women in this field; has resulted in an equally slow emergence to the sale of photography at auction, and the relatively low prices fetched for the majority of work by female photographers. Whereas the collector/buyer does not consciously decide not to buy a photograph because it has been taken by a woman, it would appear that form dictates value. And as the most written about and exhibited photographers have all been men, the majority of instrumental female photographers have been left in the shade. However, this previous lack of attention to both these entities has influenced, in the past ten years, a plethora of exhibitions and publications devoted to both these causes. This is still a burgeoning interest however, and the likes of Madame Yevonde are only just returning from obscurity. Her name in particular being known to only select appreciative disciples (male and female) who collect Yevonde's work for love not money. Sadly their manipulation of the market has contributed to her lack of fame. While those such as Naomi Rosenblurn, Val Williams and Pam Roberts strive to report her to the world; the majority of those who own her work keep material away from the public eye, keeping her work out of the auction houses and her prices low.