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7 St. Luke's Place
New York City
November 25, 1940

Mr. Robert Carlen
Carlen Galleries
323 S. 16th Street
Philadelphia, Pa.

Dear Mr. Carlen:

Thank you for sending the additional Pippin photographs, which I should have acknowledged sooner had I not been out of the city. All of the material has been in the editorial offices of Friday magazine for the last two weeks. They are extremely busy up there, and found only a moment or so to discuss it with me. The tentative indication is that it will be used. However, that is not final. So please be patient, and I shall try to get things moving as quickly as possible and then return everything to you in good order as requested.

In the meantime, I think it would be well to clear up an evident misunderstanding about the photographs. You have sent me a bill for nine photographs. Of these, five are prints of Pippin's paintings. Publications do not pay for such prints when using a story giving an artist publicity -- at least in my fifteen years of experience I have never heard of it, so I could hardly pass on those items if the story is used. I distinctly remember telling you not to have any paintings photographed especially for me, as I had no assurance they would be used.

When I did mention payment for photographs, I referred to those specifically taken for this story, the three shots taken out in West Chester. I suggested that if you could get a photographer to do them on a contingent basis, perhaps with a guarantee from you covering the cost of materials the magazine would pay for those photographs if used. The standard publication price for such photographs is five dollars. Now three times five still leaves us a long way from $29. Moreover, one of the three is so utterly useless (the woman from the back) I did not even submit it. That leaves two of the photographer's pictures in the running. I am sorry there is such a gap between your expectations and realities on this point, but I do not think I am at fault, as I took special pains to present the situation objectively.

Sincerely yours,

Jerome Klein

I inclose a tear sheet from the November issue of Direction, with a reproduction and comment on Pippin.