Iconic Oscar Wilde Portrait by Legendary Photographer Sarony to Be Sold at Auction
An iconic 1882 photograph of Oscar Wilde, taken by renowned New York photographer Napoleon Sarony, is set to be sold at auction next month.
The photograph will be offered by Bonhams on February 18, marking the 125th anniversary of Wilde’s death, in a sale devoted to objects, letters, manuscripts, books, and portraits connected to the Irish writer. The items come from the collection of Jeremy Mason, a bibliophile who has spent around 60 years assembling more than 500 pieces of Oscar Wilde-related material.
Among the highlights is one of Sarony’s portraits of Wilde, which is being sold in the form of a cabinet card. The image show Wilde posed against an elaborate studio backdrop, wearing a velvet coat, knee-breeches, silk stockings, and patent leather shoes. The photograph dates back to 1882, when Wilde visited Sarony’s New York studio during an American lecture tour.
Oscar Wilde would later become one of the most famous literary figures of the Victorian era, known for works including The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. His career and reputation were ultimately destroyed after he was tragically imprisoned for homosexual acts in 1895, and he died in exile at the age of 46. But at the time the photographs were taken by Sarony, Wilde was only 27 and had not yet written the novel and plays that would define his legacy.
A Photographer Who Waived His Fee to Capture Wilde
According to a report by Artnet, the Wilde who entered Sarony’s studio was largely unknown to the public. Meanwhile, Sarony was already an established figure in American photography. He had succeeded Mathew Brady as the most prominent portrait photographer in New York and was particularly known for his images of actors and public figures. After opening his first studio on Broadway in 1866, he moved to larger premises on Union Square in 1871, where he produced thousands of cartes de visite and cabinet cards that fed a growing public appetite for celebrity images.
Yet despite Wilde’s limited fame, Sarony appears to have been immediately captivated by him as a subject. As reported in a further 2014 article by Artnet, collector Jeremy Mason said that Sarony viewed the then-unknown Wilde as an especially “exotic creature” and waived his fee for the photography sessions so he could capture the writer. Sarony photographed Wilde multiple times over the course of 1882 and 1883, capturing him in a range of poses. The resulting images helped shape Wilde’s public image as an aesthetic and a dandy, emphasizing his distinctive dress, confidence, and wit.
Among the other items being offered by Bonhams in the sale are a first edition of Salome inscribed by Wilde and a 1891 copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray also signed by the author.
Image credits: Header photo by Bonhams.
