Ansel Adams

mounted on Hi-Art illustration board, signed in pencil on the mount, Carmel studio stamps (BMFA 7 and 8) on the reverse, 1960, printed no later than 1970 (400 Photographs, p. 379; Classic Images, cover and pl. 74)

The photographs in this and the following two lots were gifts of Ansel Adams to Ray A. Roberts, editor of Adams books at the New York Graphic Society, 1980s 

This print, on semi-glossy paper, in in generally good condition. There is tiny chipping of the emulsion at the upper and lower right edges and at the lower left corner. In raking light, there is a small area of original retouching in the lower central portion of the print. The mount is age-darkened, soiled, and there is a 1/2-inch area of sunning around the periphery of the print. There are light brown droplet deposits of unidentified nature in the upper portion of the mount near the right corner. On the reverse of the mount, the edges are rubbed and the corners are bumped. There are droplet remains in the upper portion, as well as a 10-inch slightly raised inear area between the stamps on the reverse. 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. The authors' assessment of the use dates of stamps 7 and 8 on the reverse of this print is 1963 to 1973. The fact that this print is mounted to branded illustration board, as opposed to plain museum board, indicates a printing date in the 1960s.
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.

Ray Roberts was a senior editor at Little, Brown and Company when he was assigned to work with Ansel Adams on the photographer's autobiography (Ansel Adams: An Autobiography, published by the New York Graphic Society, a division of Little, Brown, in 1985).  In her biography of Adams, Mary Street Alinder recounts:

'Early on, Little, Brown had assigned senior editor Ray Roberts to the project, flying him out to Carmel with company president Arthur Thornhill, Jr., in April of 1981 to introduce us.  I was concerned about how much control Ray would want to have over the book, but Ansel was even more worried than I: he thought that the boys back East were sending a watchdog.  It turned out that Ray was really there to help us.  Never negatively interfering, he provided sage counsel that resulted in a much better book' (Ansel Adams: A Biography, New York, 1996, pp. 373-4.  Alinder's editor for her biography of Adams, published by Henry Holt, was also Ray Roberts).

In addition to Adams's autobiography, Roberts was the Little, Brown editor for Ansel Adams: Letters and Images, 1916 – 1984, published in 1988. Roberts, who died in August 2009 at the age of 71, had a long and illustrious career in publishing.  Besides Little, Brown, and Henry Holt, he also worked at the University of Chicago Press, Macmillan, Doubleday, and Viking.  He was a friend and editor of the authors John Fowles and Thomas Pynchon, among others.