Bonhams Photographs Auction Totals $672,200
3 min read · 08 Oct 2026
Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936 by Dorothea Lange sold for $70,300. Image courtesy of Bonhams
A work by Dorothea Lange was the headline sale at Bonhams 'Photographs' auction on September 28-October 7 in New York.
- The sale totaled $672,200, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 84 works sold totaling $672,200.
- Estimates totaled: $939,700 (low) and $1.37m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 60% of the original 139 lots announced.
The star lot was: Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936 (1950), which sold for $70,300, 17% above its $60,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.
'Approaching Shadow', 1954 by Fan Ho sold for $20,500 (582% above estimate). Image courtesy of Bonhams
The outperformer sold for 582% above its low estimate. Fan Ho, 'Approaching Shadow', 1954 (2006), sold for $20,500 ($3,000 low estimate). It has been traded twice in the past.
- 23 works, or 27%, sold above their high estimate.
- 47 works, or 56%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 14 works, or 17%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
55 works were bought-in, including: Frank Worth, Marilyn Monroe: Platinum Photography by Frank Worth (Portfolio), 1953-1958 (Salzburg: Rudolf Budja Galerie (2009), estimated at $70,000 (low) to $90,000 (high). It has been traded once in the past.
Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn
Terms and definitions
All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.
Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.
Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.
Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.
Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.
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