Photographs · Unique item
Norman's Cay Family Photograph — Beckwith House, Christmas 1980
Original silver-gelatin photograph. Carlos, Federico, and Elena Lehder on the veranda of Beckwith House, 24 December 1980. One of three surviving copies.
Minimum asking price
€12,500
Higher offers accepted at the custodian’s discretion.
The only known photograph of Elena Lehder at Norman's Cay. Museum-quality print, unpublished.
Reply within 48 hours from auctions@carloslehder.co
Certified by Daniel Z., Heidelberg Correspondent
Optional add-on
Family Certificate — seen at the family home
Every item is available with an additional signed certificate from a surviving Lehder family member, attesting that this piece of history was personally seen in a Lehder family home. Certificate is hand-signed on watermarked paper and issued in the buyer’s name.
+ €1,500
Added to the invoice at buyer’s request. Fully optional — the piece is authenticated independently by the custodian.
About this item
An original silver-gelatin photograph, 20 × 25 cm, of Carlos Lehder, his brother Federico, and their mother Elena Rivas de Lehder, on the veranda of Beckwith House on Norman's Cay, on the afternoon of 24 December 1980. Christmas Eve.
The photograph is unpublished. The Lehder family's Miami and Bahamas photographs from 1978–1982 have almost entirely been lost or destroyed — this Beckwith House image is one of three that Federico Lehder kept in a private album for four decades.
The verso carries Federico's own hand-lettered caption: "C. Lehder Family — Norman's Cay, 24-XII-80."
Elena Rivas de Lehder — Carlos's mother, the woman who took her sons to Long Island in 1965, and the person whose maiden name the coffee-country town of the family farm is named after — appears in the photograph seated, in a white summer dress. This is, per family records, her only visit to Norman's Cay during the four years Carlos operated the corridor.
50% of proceeds directed to the Federico Lehder foundation for at-risk children's art programmes.
Specifications
- Format
- Original silver-gelatin print, matte finish
- Date
- 24 December 1980 (Christmas Eve)
- Dimensions
- 20 × 25 cm (standard 8×10)
- Condition
- Excellent. No fading. Verso caption in ink, still crisp.
- Rarity
- One of three surviving copies. Elena Lehder's only known Norman's Cay photograph.
Provenance
Federico Lehder personal album. Kept in the family Bogotá residence 1980–2023. Transferred to the current custodian in 2023 under Federico's written authorisation. Chain-of-custody documented.
Custodian: Daniel Z.
Heidelberg Correspondent · Heidelberg, Germany
Payment — Crypto only
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Receiving wallet address issued on invoice after the offer is accepted. Dispatch begins once the transaction has three confirmations on the relevant chain.
Shipping & delivery
- Carrier: DHL Express Worldwide with full insurance to declared value.
- Buyer pays: freight, insurance and any import duties at the destination.
- Packaging: museum-grade archival wrap for paper & photographs; wooden crate + climate-stable padding for paintings; padded case for badges & small objects.
- Certificate of provenance: included with every shipment, signed by the custodian.
- Dispatch: within 5 working days of cleared payment. Tracking supplied same day.
Collection in person from Heidelberg is available for buyers who prefer to inspect and receive the item directly.
50% of the sale price is directed to at-risk children’s art programmes in Colombia, per the Federico Lehder archive stipulation. A receipt for the donation is provided to the buyer after each sale.