American, 1907–1955
George Platt Lynes
120results on record
90%sell-through
$2,394median result (USD, incl. premium; 100% observed, 0% estimated from hammer)
$19,050record in our coverage
Drawn from 120 recorded results (111 sold · 9 passed) across 13 auction houses, 1998–2026. 1 upcoming lot on the ledger. What we cover
Median sold price by year typical estimate range median result USD, incl. premium; 100% observed, 0% estimated from hammer method · log scale
Where does a value land in this market?
The same figure also answers the seller's question: which house clears a work like this, and for how much — expected proceeds by house, from the sell-through the rest of this page is built on.
Every sold result for this market, low to high (log scale) — the dashed line is the median. Enter a value to see where it lands.
By medium where medium is recorded or stated in the catalog line
| Medium | Results | Sell-through | Median result (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| photography | 41 | 83% | $2,635 |
Medium is recorded for 41 of 120 results (34%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.
Compared with Berenice Abbott George Platt Lynes Berenice Abbott
| Metric | George Platt Lynes | Berenice Abbott |
|---|---|---|
| Median result | $2,394 | $3,884 |
| Record price | $19,050 | $60,000 |
| Results on record | 120 | 1,226 |
| Years active at auction | 1998–2026 | 1998–2026 |
Related artists: Berenice AbbottEdward WestonHorst P. HorstRobert Mapplethorpe
Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method
83/ 100
- Sell-through90%
- Meets estimate64%
- Market depth120 results
How readily and near-estimate this market clears — sell-through, estimate reliability, and depth, blended into one score. "Meets estimate" is the share of sold lots hammering at or above the low estimate, over catalogs that print a real appraisal: a house whose printed low is a starting bid would meet its estimate on every lot, so those lots are excluded from this term only — their prices and outcomes still count in the other two. Method →
Where this artist sells best
| House | Results | Sell-through | Median | vs. estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonhams | 26 | 92% | $2,535 | 1.00× |
| Rago | 15 | 100% | $2,816 | — |
| Sotheby's | 15 | 100% | $4,974 | 0.69× |
| Christie's | 15 | 100% | $3,120 | — |
| Wright | 13 | 100% | $2,432 | — |
| Heritage Auctions | 14 | 79% | $1,188 | — |
| Dorotheum | 11 | 73% | $1,261 | — |
| Lyon & Turnbull | 3 | 100% | $419 | 0.65× |
| Lempertz | 2 | 100% | $3,247 | — |
| Grisebach | 2 | — | $3,633 | — |
| Chiswick Auctions | 2 | 100% | $1,310 | — |
| Galerie Bassenge | 1 | — | $3,555 | — |
| Phillips | 1 | 0% | — | — |
The same artist across every house we cover — hammer-vs-estimate side by side. A dash in the estimate column can mean withheld rather than unpublished: the house publishes no hammer price, or its printed low is a starting bid rather than an appraisal. Method →
Prices realized 121 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 9 passed lots
| Date | Lot | Medium | vs. estimate | Estimate USD | Result USD, incl. premium | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026·09 | Francisco Moncion | $1,500–$2,000 | upcoming | Rago | ||
| 99 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2026·07 | Gordon Hanson (from the portfolio 'George Platt Lynes') | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2026·07 | Ray Richter | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2026·06 | “Tex” C. Smutny, “Buddy” C. Stanley, and Another Boy | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | Francisco Moncton "Evasion" | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | Richard Sisson and Peter Hanson | $1,500–$2,500 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | "Tex" C. Smutny and Three Other Hands | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | Ted Starkowski | $1,200–$1,800 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | Ted Starkowski | $1,200–$1,800 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | Harvey Young, Gym Owner, Hollywood | $800–$1,200 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | Jose 'Pete' Martinez, May 25, 1937 | $1,200–$1,800 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | “Tex” C. Smutny, “Buddy” C. Stanley, and Another Boy | $700–$900 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | Francisco Moncton "Evasion" | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | Richard Sisson and Peter Hanson | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | "Tex" C. Smutny and Three Other Hands | $700–$900 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | Jared French | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2026·06 | Jared French | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | Harvey Young, Gym Owner, Hollywood | $800–$1,200 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | Jose 'Pete' Martinez, May 25, 1937 | $1,200–$1,800 | Wright | |||
| 2026·06 | Isamu Noguchi | $1,048–$1,397 | Lempertz | |||
| 2026·05 | Ted Starkowski, 1950s | — | Chiswick Auctions | |||
| 2026·05 | Ted Starkowski, 1950s | — | Chiswick Auctions | |||
| 2025·10 | Selected Images (4 photographs) | $7,000–$10,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·10 | Alexander Jensen Yow | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·07 | Boys from 'Four Saints in Three Acts' | $1,500–$2,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·07 | Nicholas Magallanes and Francisco Moncion in George Balanchine's 'Orpheus' | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·12 | „Walter Rockmer“. 1940 | Vintage or early gelatin silver print | $2,104–$3,155 | Grisebach | ||
| 2024·11 | Untitled (Male Nude) | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·11 | Narcissus (from 'Mythology') | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·10 | Walter Rockmer | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2024·08 | Colette - 1935 | $384–$640 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2024·08 | Lady Between Two Chairs (Portrait of Kay Boyle) - C.1948 | $384–$640 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2024·08 | Untitled (Male Nude) | $384–$640 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2024·07 | 'Apollo + the Muses' (Balanchine's 'Orpheus and Euridice', with Lew Christensen and William Dollar) | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·06 | Study from the Ballet 'Orpheus', circa 1948(1) and Monroe Wheeler, circa 1940s(2) | $2,143–$4,286 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·06 | Bill Harris | $1,607–$2,143 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·06 | Chuck Howard | $1,607–$2,143 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·06 | Francisco Moncion | $2,678–$3,750 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·04 | Portrait of Ted Starkowski | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·01 | Sans titre | $1,084–$2,167 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·01 | Male Nude Leaning | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·01 | Sculpture Series #4 | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·11 | Group of 6 Photographs Related to the Ballet or Theatre, circa 1930-1940s | Toned gelatin silver prints, printed later | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·11 | Model Reclining | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·11 | Orpheus | Toned gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·11 | W. Somerset Maugham | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·10 | Boreas (from the Mythology series) | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2023·07 | Untitled (Nude with Raised Arms) | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·07 | 'Almost Abstract Nudes I' ('Tex Smutney + Buddy Stanley, or perhaps Bradbury Ball') | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·07 | Advertising Image for Henri Bendel, New York City | $1,800–$2,200 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·06 | Jonathan Tichenor, Fire Island | $2,139–$3,209 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·06 | Sans titre | $2,139–$3,209 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·04 | Glenway Wescott and Characters | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·04 | Untitled (Self Portrait) | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·04 | Lincoln Kirstein | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2022·12 | Edward Hopper | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2022·12 | Ballerinas (American Ballet Theatre, New York) | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2022·11 | Untitled | $1,562–$2,082 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·10 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2022·10 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2022·10 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2022·10 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2022·10 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2022·07 | Untitled (Female Nude) | $3,000–$5,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | Untitled (eight works) | $3,500–$5,500 | Wright | |||
| 2022·04 | Cyclops, 1939 | gelatin silver print | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·04 | Woman in an evening dress, 1930s-1940s | gelatin silver print | $1,000–$2,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·01 | Boat Series #3 | $500–$700 | Wright | |||
| 2022·01 | Thomas Mann | Gelatin silver print, printed later, ferrotyped | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2021·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2021·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2021·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2021·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2021·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2021·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2021·10 | Edward Hopper | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2021·06 | Man with Tattoos | $1,413–$2,119 | Bonhams | |||
| 2021·06 | Study from the Ballet 'Orpheus' | $1,413–$2,119 | Bonhams | |||
| 2021·03 | Self-Portrait | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2021·03 | Ballet Dancer Diptych, circa 1930s | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2020·12 | Ballet Orpheus with Noguchi Sculpture | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2020·06 | Self-Portrait | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2020·06 | Charles Caskey | — | Galerie Bassenge | |||
| 2020·04 | Two Portraits of Luke Gwilliam (2 works) | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2020·03 | Carlos McClendon | $1,500–$2,000 | Rago | |||
| 2020·03 | Gordon Hanson | $1,500–$2,000 | Rago | |||
| 2020·03 | Untitled | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2020·03 | Mel Fillini | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2018·04 | selected images of yul brynner | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·12 | José Pete Martinez | $2,377–$2,971 | Lempertz | |||
| 2017·10 | The Second Birth of Dionysus, 1939 | gelatin silver print with hand-applied pigment | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2017·10 | Male Nude Hanging, 1941 | gelatin silver print | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·12 | Selected Images | $1,000–$1,500 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·11 | etude de nus, années 1940 | $3,731–$6,218 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·11 | serge lifar, le prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, 1932 | $4,974–$7,462 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·11 | serge lifar, le spectre de la rose, 1931 | $4,974–$7,462 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·11 | Portrait of a Dancer, c. 1944 | annotated in pencil and ink (verso) | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·11 | Arthur Lee's Model, 1937 | ferrotyped gelatin silver print | $3,000–$5,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·11 | A.J. Ynocencio | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2012·12 | Jean Cocteau | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.