Edward Weston

mounted, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, titled, numbered '35SO,' and inscribed 'For Bill & Zelda with a large abrazo from Edward on Wild Cat Hill Aug. 1943' in pencil, and with a circular gold foil First International Photographic Exposition label on the reverse, 1936, printed no later than 1938

Gift of the photographer to Zelda and William Holgers, 1943

By descent to the present owners

New York, Grand Central Palace, First International Photographic Exposition, April 1938

Conger 940

Ben Maddow, Edward Weston: His Life and Photographs (Aperture, 1979), p. 169

James Enyeart, Edward Weston's California Landscapes (Boston, 1984), pl. 98

Jennifer A. Watts, Edward Weston: A Legacy (The Huntington Library, 2003), p. 120

Kurt Markus, ed., Dune: Edward & Brett Weston (Kalispell, 2003), p. 4

This photograph illustrates Weston's highly refined skills, both as a photographer and as a printer. It represents the ideal, classic presentation for his 1930s prints: it is on semi-glossy paper; mounted to heavy board with a slick white surface; and is fully signed, titled, and dated in an assured hand on the mount. An extraordinary level of detail is visible: the sunlit dunes, with their palpable texture, are balanced by the inky black bands of shadows. The print is in generally excellent condition. When examined closely in high raking light, the following are visible: scattered tiny deposits of original retouching; extremely faint scuffs to the surface in the darkest areas of the dunes, possibly a result of the mounting process; a 1/4-inch thin linear and a few pinpoint-sized impressions in the lower right quadrant that do not appear to break the emulsion; and subtle silvering in the darkest areas along the left and right edges. These extremely minor issues do not detract in any way from the overall impressive qualities of this print. The corners and edges of the mount are slightly worn, and there is an approximately one-1/2-inch crease at the upper left corner. The board is slightly unevenly trimmed along the lower edge. There is a small yellow deposit near the upper right edge of the mount. On the reverse of the mount the numbers '2,' '5,' and '9' were previously written in the photographer's hand in pencil in the upper left corner but were subsequently erased. The circular gold foil 1938 First International Photographic Exposition label states that the picture was 'selected for exhibit,' and that the exposition ran from April 18th to 24th at New York City's Grand Central Palace. Extant prints of the present dune study are scarce. Conger accounts for only a handful in institutional collections: the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson; Art Institute of Chicago; the Huntington Library, San Marino; and a later Project Print in the collection of the University of California at Santa Cruz.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

With its bold alternation of black and gray values, punctuated by near-white creamy highlights on the dune ridges, the photograph offered here is one of the most dramatically graphic studies made by Weston at Oceano.  Weston first photographed the region’s massive sand dunes in 1934 and wrote of his short visit: ‘I made several dune negatives that mark a new epoch in my work.  I must go back there,—the material made for me!’ (Daybooks II, p. 282).  Weston’s most significant work in the area was done two years later when he returned with his lover and eventual wife, Charis Wilson, and this particular image was made at that time.

The present masterfully-printed dune study was included in the 1938 First International Photographic Exposition at Grand Central Palace in New York, in a special invitational section of the exhibition that was reserved for the world’s leaders in black and white photography.  In this exhibition of past and contemporary photography, the work of professionals and amateurs were exhibited side-by-side.  Other photographs known to have been exhibited there are Weston’s Dunes – Oceano (Conger 943, 43SO), Dunes – Oceano (Conger 953, 59SO), and Clouds (Conger 913, 32CL), all later offered in these rooms (9 October 1991, Sale 6216, Lots 226 and 227; and 11 December 2014, Sale 9275, Lot 52).

This photograph comes originally from the collection of William and Zelda Holgers, to whom it is affectionately inscribed.  Weston was introduced to William Holgers, an amateur photographer and part of the Bay Area’s thriving Camera Club scene, through their mutual friend Willard Van Dyke.  Over the years Holgers acquired a small collection of prints by Weston and his circle, both as gifts and by purchase.  Holgers is perhaps best known in Weston literature as the photographer of the fine dual portrait of Weston and Wilson that appears on the dust jacket of Wilson’s 1998 memoir, Through Another Lens: My Years with Edward Weston.  A selection of photographs and books by Edward and Brett Weston from the Holgers’ collection was offered in these rooms in April 2002 and 2004.

The print offered here, with Weston's robust, full signature and date on a slick white mount, represents the ideal early presentation of the image.  Extant prints of the present dune study are scarce and Conger accounts for only a handful in institutional collections.