Bound Over Parts 1 + 2 - Gene Bilbrew

Van Rod / Eugene ‘Gene’ Bilbrew, Bound Over Parts 1 + 2, New York, c1957. 250 x 200 x 35mm.

Hand bound loose-leaf book of 40 photographic prints mounted on back paper with card covers. Rare full set from the circa 1957 “Bound Over or Missing Gwen De Lynn” series b Gene Bilbrew, under the pseudonym Van Rod. The prints were orderable from Klaw’s catalogue in sets of 4 or 8 and are thus almost never found in complete sets. This set is housed in a charmingly amateur, shoelace-bound book. Bilbrew made his start in the late 40s/early 50s after meeting the artist and his future contemporary, Eric Stanton while at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Bilbrew had three main employers: Leonard Burtman; gangster, pornographer and bookshop owner, Edward Mishkin; and Irving Klaw, for whom these cards were produced. Condition: Taped edges of first print, 5 closed torn corner with 10mm area of paper loss. Print 14 has a small surface paper loss. A couple of the hole punches have torn on the black paper, widening the hole. Prints 21, 22, 23 and 24 are hand numbered in blue biro in the top right corner. Overall Good.