Edward Weston

mounted, signed, dated, initialed, and editioned '15/50' in pencil on the mount, numbered '5-35' in pencil on the reverse, 1930, no. 15 in a projected edition of 50 (Conger 593)

This photograph bears all the characteristics of an Edward Weston print from 1930. It is on photographic paper with a glossy surface, and affixed to a large tan mount. Weston has placed his edition number on the mount directly below the image, and his signature and date appears near the bottom right corner of the mount. In the late 1920s, Weston discovered that glossy paper allowed him to coax more detail and greater tonal range out of his photographs. This photograph dates from the early years of his use of glossy photographic paper but nonetheless illustrates the total control he exerted over his materials. The tones range from a deep black to a crisp white, and image detail is visible across the full tonal scale. This impressive print is a darker, more dramatic rendering of the image than is typically seen, and the brightness of the flowers stands out in striking relief from the depth of the dark background. The print itself is in excellent condition. The mount is age-darkened somewhat, soiled in several places, and worn around the edges.
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.

In addition to a print of this image in the Edward Weston Archive at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Conger locates prints in the following institutions: the George Eastman House, Rochester; a print made from the negative in the early 1940s, at the Huntington Library, San Marino; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Utah State University, Logan.  There is also a Project Print made by Brett Weston in the 1950s at Santa Cruz.

Additionally, an early print of this image originally from the collection of Weston's lover, the photographer Sonya Noskowiak, was sold in these rooms on 25 April 2007 (Photographs from the Private Collection of Margaret W. Weston, Sale 8387, Lot 41).  An early print is also in The Lane Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Weston's Negative Log, in the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, records 22 prints of this image made from the projected edition of 50.  The Log also indicates that 4 of these prints were later destroyed by Weston.

This photograph has been reproduced in several monographs and critical assessments of the photographer's work, including:  

Conger 593

Edward Weston, My Camera on Point Lobos (New York, 1950), pl. 9

David Travis, Edward Weston: The Last Years in Carmel (Chicago, 2001), p. 18

Charis Weston, Edward Weston: Nudes (Aperture, 1977), p. 70

James Enyeart, Edward Weston's California Landscapes (Boston, 1984), pl. 46

Beaumont Newhall, Supreme Instants (Boston, 1986), pl. 111

Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., Karen Quinn, and Leslie Furth, Edward Weston: Photography and Modernism (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1999), pl. 46

Ben Maddow, Edward Weston: Fifty Years (Aperture, 1973), p. 132

Peter C. Bunnell and David Featherstone, eds., EW 100: Centennial Essays in Honor of Edward Weston (Carmel, 1986), p. 32

The Daybooks of Edward Weston, Volume II, California (Aperture, 1973), pl. 16