Edward Weston

mounted, initialed and dated by the photographer in pencil on the mount, titled by him in pencil on the reverse, matted, 1941

The photographer to his sister, Mary Weston Seaman

By descent to her daughter, Jeannette Seaman

By descent to her nephew, John W. Longstreth

The Dayton Art Institute, Edward Weston's Gifts to His Sister, January - March 1978, and traveling to:

New York, International Center of Photography, July - September 1978; and

The Oakland Museum, February - March 1979

The Dayton Art Institute, Edward Weston: A Photographer's Love of Life, February - July 2004, and traveling to:

Oregon, Portland Art Museum, September - November 2004

Omaha, Joslyn Art Museum, January - April 2005; and

Rochester, George Eastman House, April - September 2005

This print:

Kathy Kelsey Foley, Edward Weston's Gifts to His Sister (The Dayton Art Institute, 1978, in conjunction with the exhibition), pp. 36 and 54

Alexander Lee Nyerges, Edward Weston: A Photographer's Love of Life (The Dayton Art Institute, 2004, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 64

Another print of this image:

Conger 1591

This print, on a paper with a slightly warm tonality, is in generally excellent condition. There are two small, inconsequential chips at the bottom edge of the print. The photograph is on a small format, medium-weight, cream-colored board. The corners of the mount are lightly bumped, and there are two one-inch strips of shiny adhesive tape adhered to the bottom edge. On the reverse, two small pieces of linen tape are affixed to the top edge.
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.

The present photograph was taken by Weston in August of 1941, as he and Charis Wilson made their way to New Orleans.  They stopped briefly in Morgan City, on the Atchafalaya River, where Weston photographed two docked shrimp boats framed against an iron bridge.  Masses of water hyacinth, plants known to clog Louisiana's waterways, are visible in the foreground.  The shrimping industry is a way of life in parts of the southern United States, Louisiana in particular, and in this photograph, Weston has evoked its unique ambience.

This image was not published in the Leaves of Grass volume.  In addition to a print in the Edward Weston Archive at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Conger locates only two others: one in the Art Institute of Chicago and another, a Project Print, at Santa Cruz.