Sam Wagstaff, handwritten letter and card to Anne MacDonald, with candid comments about the photographer and photography curator Van Der Coke, January 23, 1984.

Handwritten double-sided letter with card

Size: 8.5 x 11 inches

Wagstaff’s response to MacDonald’s inquiries about historical photographs that might be appropriate for the SF MoMA collection: “Yes, I’ve got two very nice (Alvin Langdon) Coburn’s of Grand Cãnon, quite large, which I even paid good money for, which I can give you for Papa Van — I don’t think I have anything much else to fill out your list with.”

Wagstaff also responds to her curiosity about his opinion of the museum’s photography curator Van Der Coke. Wagstaff does not hold back especially when it comes to Van Der Coke’s own photography: “From the hideous photos he takes himself or cooks up in the developer all brown and primal. Like something left over from the tar pits down the coast. I can’t understand even how he does as well as he really does.”

This letter includes other biting comments about Van Der Coke: “…And Pompous, well, my dear, you better know that Herr Professor has about 87 tons of experience in the medium spread over 3 or 4 continents, 5 if you count Australia.  Just ask him a question if you don’t believe me.  He’s the boy you loved to be mean to at school…..”

This letter also includes a card: “Believe it or not I wrote the enclosed card to you before Xmas and so goomy(?) that I never sent it off.”