Edward Weston

mounted, signed and dated by the photographer in pencil on the mount, titled by him in pencil on the reverse, matted, 1937

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

Kathy Kelsey Foley, Edward Weston's Gifts to His Sister (The Dayton Art Institute, 1978, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 48 (this print)

Another print of this image:

Conger 989

This is a lovely print with soft shifts in tone that give the image great depth and detail. The photograph is in generally excellent condition. Visible in raking light are the following: faint silvering in the darkest areas of the print; a few very small linear indentations that do not break the emulsion; a slight unevenness in the print's surface at the bottom right quadrant; and a small, 1/4-inch edge tear that likely occurred prior to mounting, at the bottom left corner. When viewing this photograph under normal conditions, these are not discernable. The photograph is mounted to a heavy-weight beige board that has been trimmed to within one inch of the photograph. The mount is age-darkened along the periphery. The corners are lightly bumped.
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.

Taken on the first of Weston's Guggenheim trips in 1937, this sweeping image of Death Valley shows a large, sunlit cloud perched over the tops of the Panamints, the cloud's elongated shape casting its shadow on the mountains below.  Weston was so excited by the landscape of Death Valley that he exclaimed when he first saw it, 'My God! It can't be!' (quoted in California and the West, p. 24).  The trip to Death Valley was a difficult one, with weather extremes, rough roads, and a lack of provisions. Weston was nonetheless so awed with what he saw there that he later pronounced, upon seeing other, lesser views: 'If I'd never seen Death Valley, I would probably work here' (quoted in Through Another Lens, p. 123).

In addition to a print in the Edward Weston Archive at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Conger locates only one other print of this image, in the collection of the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.