Ansel Adams 1902-1984

The photograph in this and the following lot are from the personal collection of the photographer Pirkle Jones (b. 1914).  Jones's long friendship with Ansel Adams began in 1946, when he enrolled in the inaugural photography course at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco.  From 1947 until 1953, Jones served as Adams's assistant, and these photographs were acquired during this period.  In the years after his graduation from CSFA, Jones and Adams remained good friends.  In 1949, when Jones married another CSFA photography student, Ruth-Marion Baruch, Adams hosted the wedding at his home in Yosemite.  He enlisted Jones to teach at the Ansel Adams Yosemite workshops, and in 1956, when Dorothea Lange asked Adams to collaborate on a second photographic essay for Life magazine, Adams declined, but suggested Jones instead (see Lot 25).

Jones says of his relationship with Adams and his influence,

'What I learned from Ansel in the classroom, as well as helping him in the darkroom, has been invaluable.  I thank Ansel Adams for his generosity, and consider him one of the giants in the history of photography.'