[new cruelty]

Here is the photo-

Nice. But $2.9 million worth of nice?

[SteveMcKing]

Wish it still looked that way.

[Darkwolf377]

I love Steichen's work, and am glad the internet provides it for free.

Some people want to buy the actual works, and as long as someone else will buy it from them eventually, it's just another commodity.

Thank God I'm not so obsessed and can just enjoy looking at the pictures.

[Cicero]

I like Steichen. I can think of better things to do with 2.9 million dollars (like paying my bills). But I'd rather have this than a Warhol or most of the other junk on the modren art market.

[Prince Caspian]

Seems a bit steep. I've taken stuff that looked similar when I got the exposure setting wrong. Who knew?

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

If that run of the mill photo commands $ 3 million, what about my far bettter photos of bikini babes shot at Daytona Beach? You should see the lights and shadows in those photos.

[Alberta's Child]

That's a photo of a pond? It looks like Hillary Clinton's dental X-ray.

[blake6900]

The buyer's identity was not immediately disclosed.

How 'bout "dumbass" for starters?!

[LdSentinal]

How much is this worth?

[jocon307]

"But $2.9 million worth of nice?"

Yeah, I ain't that nice, or rich, or crazy. But....maybe it looks better in real life.

[Bender2]

Hey, I'll take $2,899,999.99 for mine...

[MJY1288]

And to think! I just right clicked on the photo and got it for free :-)

[Clemenza]

Wher on Lawn Guyland? It was probably drained for a bunch of Cape Cods and Colonials in the late '40s/1950s.

[Clemenza]

Where on Lawn Guyland? It was probably drained for a bunch of Cape Cods and Colonials in the late '40s/1950s.

[Revolting cat!]

I've taken pics like it, I swear, before I knew of this master, and with a cheap, cheap 2 1/5'' camera. But who'll pay $2.9 mill for something by a cat named Revolting cat! ? Brand name sells. Also, why does it look in colour?

[TheBrotherhood]

2.9 millions for 30 seconds of "work"?

It even isn't a good picture.

I hope the person/entity who bought it has a huge loss.

[TheLion]

I like this Steichen photo better.

[LdSentinal]

These photos are priceless:

[martin_fierro]

C'mon.

This one's worth at least that.

[Aliska]

Gee, I've got a nice old pond picture. I'd better hang onto it. It was taken in the early 1900's and is enlarged. The name and fame are everything, I guess.

He seems to have followed the rule of thirds.

[Revolting cat!]

But seriously, I think the high values are for historical and brand name reasons. I mean these are not Rembrandts or Monets which are unique and unreproducible. By now, thousands of photographers, amateur and professional have taken shots that are as good artistically, and however else you want to measure their quality, as Steichen. Photography does not measure up to painting or sculpture or music. An art gallery opened up near where I live a year or so ago. It had for sale beautiful colour nature photographs, enlarged to as much as 3' by 4'. I think the prices were in the high hundreds, maybe low four figures. It closed after one month.