Ansel Adams

mounted, signed by the photographer in ink on the mount, his San Francisco studio stamp (BMFA 4) numbered '1 - S - 14' by him in ink, on the reverse, matted, 1944, printed no later than 1962

Ansel Adams to Robert Toren, before 1960

Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1999

Other prints of this image:

Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall, This Is the American Earth (Sierra Club, 1968), pp. ii-iii

Ansel Adams (Morgan & Morgan, 1972), pl. 77

Andrea Gray Stillman, Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs (New York, 2007), p. 245

Ansel Adams, Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs (Boston, 2002), p. 162

John Szarkowski, Ansel Adams at 100 (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 2001, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 85

James Alinder and John Szarkowski, Ansel Adams: Classic Images (Boston, 1985), pl. 38

Ansel Adams: Yosemite and the Range of Light (Boston, 1979), pl. 99

Nancy Newhall, Ansel Adams: The Eloquent Light, Photographs 1923-1963 (San Francisco, 1963, in conjunction with the exhibition originating at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum), unpaginated

Ansel Adams, Ansel Adams: An Autobiography (Boston, 1985), p. 262

This print is in generally excellent condition. The 'L P' (for Lone Pine) is somewhat visible in the dark hills at the left of the print. In later prints, these initials, which were actually cut into the mountainside, were more heavily retouched by Adams, and consequently, less visible than in the print offered here. There is faint silvering at the periphery. When examined in raking light, tiny deposits of original retouching are visible in the upper left corner, at the center right in the dark hills, and at the lower right edge. Also visible only in high raking light are two extremely faint hairline scratches in the lower portion that do not break the emulsion. The corners on the buff-colored mount are bumped, and on the reverse, there are handling marks and age-darkening at the periphery, as well as what appears to be a notation regarding framing/glass in an unidentified hand in ink at the lower right corner. Karen Haas's and Rebecca Senf's book, 'Ansel Adams in the Lane Collection, ' publishes the most comprehensive list to date of the studio stamps and labels Adams used throughout his career. Our dating of this print is based upon the authors' assessment of the use dates of stamp 4 on the reverse of this print: 1950 through 1962.
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.