Daily · Dreamtime

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has acquired a group of 40 dye-transfer prints by William Eggleston dating from 1969 to 1971. The photographs — portraits, landscapes, still lifes — are images of life in places like Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, and were first shown in 1976 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

“Until Eggleston, color photography was not taken seriously,” said Neal Benezra, director of the San Francisco museum. “It was the stuff of fashion.” He added, “This group really strengthens our collection of contemporary photography, giving it a great context.”

Joshua Holdeman, an expert in 20th-century art at Christie’s, sold the prints. While neither Christie’s nor the museum would say what it paid, photography experts estimated that the group is worth about $4 million.