THE PORTFOLIOS OF ANSEL ADAMS Introduction by John S^rkowski
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New
Design
•
Laser-Scanned Separations
•
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Printing
V
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THE PORTFOLIOS OF ANSEL ADAMS
THE PORTFOLIOS OF ANSEL ADAMS Introduction by John S^rkowski
A
NEW YORK GRAPHIC SOCIETY BOOK
LITTLE,
BROWN AND COMPANY
•
BOSTON
Copyright Š 1977, 19*^1 by the Trustees of the Ansel Adams Pubhshing Rights Trust hitroduction copyright Š 1977 by Little, Brown and Company
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission m writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote All rights reserved.
brief passages in a review.
International Standard International Standard
Book Number: Book Number:
Library of Congress Catalog Card
Number: 77-71628
made
Grateful acknowledgment
is
sion to include Portfolio
III;
to
0-8212-1122-6 (paperback)
0-8212-0723-7 (hard cover)
to the Sierra
Club
Sierra
Club
Press,
Ltd. for permission to include Portfolios V,
for
for
permis-
the Varian Foundation and the
permission to include Portfolio IV; to Parasol VI, and VII;
and to Beaumont Newhall and the Estate of Nancy Ncwhall for permission to include the texts for Portfolios
V
and VI.
First edition, 1977
First printing
Hard
with laser-scanned separations and new design, 1981
cover: sixth printing, 1986
Paperback: eighth printing, 1986
New
York Graphic Society books
Company (Inc.). Published Brown and Company (Canada) and
are published
have been
in 1981,
made of
all
new
photographs, and the type for the seven
trom the original portfolio
Designed by Ann Lampton Curtis Production coordinated by Nanjernigan
Paper
is
by
Little,
Portfolios of Ansel
pages.
set
Brown
laser-scanned, duotone separations
portfolios has been reproduced directly
Type
Little,
Limited.
For the hard cover and paperback editions of The
Adams published
by
simultaneously in Canada by
DEKR Corporation
Centura Gloss
Engraved and printed by Gardner/Fulmer Lithograph
Bound by A. Horowitz and Son
PREFACE
I
am more
than pleased that this
new
issue
of The
was prepared
Portfolios
with improved design and printing. The typography from the original portfohos has been faithfully reproduced and the most advanced printing technology, including laser-scanned, duotone separations, has been used. I am also pleased that the book will now appear in paperback as well as hard cover.
My
photographs was "Parmelian Prints of the High eighteen prints on Kodak Vitava Athena Parchment T paper, Sierras" (sic) typography and title imprint by the Grabhorn Press of San Francisco, privately published in 1927. While made with care and devotion, it was more representational in approach than my later productions and reflected a style of work less realized in character and emphasis than my photography after 1930 the year I saw Paul Strand's negatives in Taos, an experience which profoundly influenced my concept of photography. My friendship and association with Alfred Stieghtz from 1933 to his death in 1946 (and with Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, Edward Weston, friends at The Museum of Modern Art, and others) first
selection of
—
—
stimulated
me
to conceive a personal tribute to Stieglitz's
appropriate to express
my
thoughts and feelings about him and
work; the resulting Portfolio
My
I
seven portfolios reveal
made from
memory.
was dedicated a
to his
his
felt it
I
remarkable
memory.
rather persistent style, through photographs
have worked
much
same approach and with the same general techniques for forty-five years. The subjects have photographed are far more varied than many would expect from most exhibited 1932 to 1976.
I
in
the
I
and published material; the later portfolios especially reveal some fresh facets. However, I have telt no reason for drastic change, and I have always believed it questionable for artists to arbitrarily change their styles simply to be different or in step with concurrent movements and trends of creative thought. I am aware that may suddenly change my approach even my medium! at any time, but such change must come from a deep conviction rather than an observance of popular fashion. The seven portfolios are, in effect, an excellent cross section of my work since the days of Group f/64. have intentionally disregarded the chronological sequence of photographs within
—
—
I
—
I
the portfolios. I
extend deepest appreciation to
to the
my
colleagues and associates, family and
and assistance in all phases of my work. I am thankful Grabhorn Press of San Francisco for the typographic design and printing
friends, for their support
of the original text inserts for Portfolios I, II, and III; to Lawton Kennedy of San Francisco for the Portfolio IV text; and to Adrian Wilson and George Waters of San Francisco for the texts of Portfolios V, VI, and VII. I wish particularly to thank Robert Feldman and his associates (Parasol Press, Ltd.) for his warm cooperation in granting reproduction rights tor Portfohos V, VI, and VII.
wish also to thank the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and its former secretary-general, Henry Allen Moe, for assistance in the creation of Portfolio II; Pirkle Jones and Don Worth for their aid in production of Portfolios II and III, respectively; Dorothy Varian, Dr. and Mrs. Edward Ginzton, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Varian, Nancy Newhall, and Liliane De Cock for their assistance with Portfolio IV. With Portfolios V, VI, and VII warm appreciation is due L. M. Rosenthal and Company, New York (V) and to Ted Orland, Phyliss Donohue, James Taylor, Alan Ross, Norman Locks, Andrea Gray, and Bill Turnage. Special thanks are due Bob Feldman for invaluable aid in the production of Portfolio VII. I also express thanks to Mary Alinder for her assistance with the present issue of the book. It may be of interest that Portfolio I was privately printed in an edition ot 75 copies, lo of which were made especially for E. Wcyhe of New York City; Portfolio II was a privately printed edition of lOO numbered copies and 5 presentation copies. Portfolio III was limited to 208 copies, of which 200 were for sale; Portfolio IV was limited to 260 copies, of which 250 were for sale. Portfolios V and VI were each printed in an edition of iio copies, of which copies for sale were numbered through 100, and 10 copies were lettered A through J; Portfolio VII was limited to 15 copies, of which copies for sale were numbered through 100, and 15 copies were lettered A through O. Each copy of Portfolio VII contained one original Polaroid PolaPan Type 52 Land photograph selected from 57 different images. The mounts of Portfolios I through IV were 14 X 18 inches; those for Portfolios V through VII were 23 x 29 inches. In retrospect may wistfully question the inclusion (or omission) of certain images in the original portfolios. The selections were logically and aesthetically agreeable at the time. With these ninety images, comprising in full my seven major portfolios, I must stand. I
i
1
i
I
Carmel, California
Ansel
January igSi
VI
Adams
INTRODUCTION
of modern photography Ansel Adams is something of an anomaly a triumphant one, but an anomaly nevertheless. In a period when most ambitious photographers have felt fortunate to win the support of one parochial segment of the total audience, Adams has been admired by a constituency so large and diverse that it could, one would have assumed, agree In the history
—
on nothing. The spectrum of Adams' admirers has extended from the
great Altred
who
gave the impression that he abhorred the popular, to successful advertising executives, who are thought to live in terror ot the esoteric. Between these poles, Adams' supporters have included an impressive list of critics and historians, younger photographers ot high talent, politicians, curators, conservationists, and an army of photographic hobbyists, who arc ordinarily interested in no one's work but their own, and who tend to believe that the art of photography is a matter of better lenses or exotic chemical Stieglitz,
formulae.
The
reasons for this almost catholic acclaim are not completely clear, but
surely they are based largely on general intuitions that
Adams
has
some
privileged understanding of the meanings of the natural landscape, and that
through
we
also
his pictures
tographer. Like
it
is
made many
all
good
artists
he distrusts categories, and
it
is
true that he
splendid photographs of other sorts of subjects. Nevertheless,
we are primarily memory of what
to define the reasons for
thankful to it
was
Adams
like to
our
own
gratitude, and
because the best of his pictures
I
think
stir
our
be alone in an untouched world.
does not advance us very
handsomely composed,
far to
note that
Adams
technically flawless photographs
ural landscapes, a subject which, like
These
of us some hint or glimpse of what
object to being described specifically as a landscape pho-
our prerogative
It
rest
once knew.
Adams would has
he has given the
motherhood,
attributes are surely virtues. For
many
is
has
made
elegant,
of magnificent nat-
almost beyond reproach.
they are sufficient virtues, and
these many need not wonder what the precise difference is between the best of Adams' pictures and uncounted other neat, clean, and dramatic photographs of the glorious American West. The difference presumably depends from the fact that Adams understands better the character and significance of his subject matter, and thus is especially
vii
moments
most intensely consonant with the earth's own tonic notes. We must remind ourselves, however, that all we know of Adams' understanding of the earth comes to us not from any direct view into his mind or spirit, but only from photographs, little monochrome substitutes for his ultimately private experience. To the best of our knowledge, he knows no more than he has shown us. As with any artist, his intuitions are finally no better than his prowess. What Adams' pictures show us is different from what we see in any landscape photographer before him. They are concerned, it seems to me, not alert to
those details, aspects, and
that are
—
with the description of objects the rocks, trees, and water that are the nominal parts of his pictures but with the description of the light that they
—
modulate, the light that
justifies their relationship to
each other. In this context
compare Aciams' photographs with those of his older friend and neighbor Edward Weston, who photographed much of the same country it is
instructive to
Adams
that
has photographed, but
The landscape
ot picture.
weighty, and
there a very different species
Weston's pictures is seen as sculpture: round, comparison, Adams' pictures seem as de-
in
fleshily sensuous, hi
materialized as the reflections on mist:
who found
water, or the shadows cast on morning
still
disembodied images concerned not with the corpus of things but with
their transient aspect.
From
Adams' problem
the standpoint of craft,
is
more
difficult
than
with eternal verities than with quicksilver. Those who have wondered whether Adams' legendary technique is in fact altogether necessary, or whether it might be a kind of showy overkill, reveling in an unnecessary perfection, have perhaps not understood the content of Adams" pictures, which describe phenomena as ephemeral and evanescent, in an unpeopled world, as those of his contemporary, Cartier-Bresson, describe Weston's, dealing
as
it
does
less
world of human events. To describe in a small monochrome picture the ciifference between the twilight ot early morning and that of evening, or between the warm sun of May and the hot sun of June, requires that every tone of the gray scale be tuned to a precise relationship of pitch and volume, so that the picture as a whole sounds a chord that is consonant with our memories of what it was like, or our dreams of what it might be like, to stand in a
in
such
a
spot
at
such
Adams would description,
which
a
moment. comes down to a question of good but which has caused a good deal of
perhaps say that is
it
doubtless true
misunderstanding, since the thing being described
mountain but
a
concept of one
way
in
which
a
not (for example)
is
a
mountain might be transposed
into a photograph.
The
particular variety
Adams photograph is not Adams would
of precision which graphic but tonal.
A
of an diagram of the composition of
is
essential to the success
be largely irrelevant. Adams the traditional concept of composition, which is
a first-rate
is
m
a
Vlll
not
way
much
interested
ot relating the
—
discrete parts
of
a picture in
mechanical notions. unified
by the
He
terms of mass, torque,
has what
is
him
for
a
and other similar better system. His pictures are
light that describes a coherent space, in
play only supporting
inertia,
which individual objects
roles.
with which Adams translates the anarchy of the natural world into these perfectly tuned chords of gray creates a sense of heightened order that is often mistaken by nonphotographers for sharpness, hi tact Adams'
The
skill
—no more optically acute—than those of any other They more — matter not competent technician using similar photographs are no sharper
tools.
of better lenses but of
If
it
is
true that
a better
are
clear
a
understanding of what one means.
Adams' work
precise tonal relationships, then
it
based on the translation of light into
is is
clear that for
him
the original print
—
which allows the most exact control over these relationships is not an exercise in exquisite retinement, but the ultimate reality and central discipline ot his art. Adams' best prints are no better than his best seeing requires. For the same reason necessity Adams has tor torty years demanded, promoted, and generally received much better photomechanical reproduction for his many books than most photographers would have considered necessary, and often better than the printers themselves knew they were capable ot. The standard of photomechanical reproduction that is satisfactory for most luxury picture books is not satisfactory for Adams' work, for such reproduc-
—
—
tion edits out the subtle shadings ot tonality that can ciescribe the character ot
natural light at a specific place and
printing can
— not
in
moment.
On
every case, but sometimes
the other hand, the very best
—stand
virtually as a surrogate
for a perfect photographic print.
At this late date we must remind ourselves that photogaphy, during most of its first century, was known primarily through the medium of original photographic prints. Until World War I photographs were manufactured in significant quantities, as bread and shoes were, even in modest towns, in order to publish the community's scenic wonders, industrial achievements, and notable citizens. Only in the past fifty years have professional photographers come to assume that they were to make their livings by selling reproduction rights rather than actual photographs.
The new system was easier, often more profitable, and in some respects more satisfying. The photographer now needed to make only one print from his negative, for delivery to the photoengraver, who would begin the process of thousands or millions, through its publication 111 periodicals. This procedure had only two disadvantages. The photographer now a member of a committee rather than an independent publisher surrendered much of his control over the content and the quality of his work.
ot multiplying
—
it
for an audience
—
IX
—
Under
the
now
dispensation an ambitious photographer
who
continued
ongmal prints did so for one of two reasons: either he wished to make pictures for which there was no recognized mass market, or he wished to make pictures which required a precision of statement that the photoengraver could not normally reproduce. For Adams, both conditions obtained. He wanted to make perfect photographs of a landscape he knew and loved, including mountains that were not as tall or as newsworthy as Mount Everest, to try to sell
were
comparison with Victoria or Niagara, and glacial lakes so small that one could put a thousand of them in Lake Erie without much improving it. To make matters worse Adams was making such pictures during a great world depression (and a quarter century before ecology became an undergraduate password), during which period it was clearly understood that the important issues involving nature had to do with dust storms, floods, drought, grasshoppers, and hurricanes, and not with the jewel-like waterfalls that
perfection ot
This to
is
insignificant in
a frigid
pond
to say that the
make was
in the
High
Sierra.
market for the pictures that
m
limited, so limited
tact that
it
Adams most wanted
could be satisfied by the slow,
demanding, old-tashioned method of making original prints.* And since the public for such work was small at best, one need not worry much about what might most surely please it. Thus, ot all Adams' publications, his portfolios most clearly represent his personal view of the meaning ot his work. Small is of course a relative term. It is probable that Ansel Adams has produced in his own darkrooms more carefully considered and fastidiously finished prints than any photographer of the twentieth century. The plates in this book, reproducing the pictures in Adams' seven numbered portfolios, represent a total of some thirteen thousand individual prints, made between the years 194S and 1976. This is a very impressive number for a modern photographer, but it cannot compare with the output ot artists who have worked energetically in the traditional graphic media. The total number of original prints by Picasso probably the champion producer since Daumier has been estimated at one hundred and ninety thousand. more difficult and more time-consuming to make a It is, unhappily, perfect print from a photographic negative than from an etching plate or a
—
lithographic stone.
The
traditional graphic techniques transmit a simple yes-
or-no signal, while the photographer's negative is highly plastic, allowing a broad range of variation that demands not only good craft but critical interpretation. In rough metaphor, the photographer's negative is to the etcher's plate as the violin is to the drum. Furthermore, once the etcher's print looks right, the etcher's
*
work
The point was made
is
done.
succinctly
When
by the
the photographer's print looks right
fictitious fashion
played by Fred Astaire in the movie Funny Face (1956),
how
small the
demand
is
for pictures ot trees."
who
photographer Richard Avery,
said,
"You would
be amazed
at
possessed by
halt-dozen chemical devils that will destroy its perfection hours ot tedious donkeywork. if not exorcised by The traditional chemical methods of making photographs, in which the image is formed by molecular metal reduced from metallic salts, is and always has been an unsatisfactory method of making large numbers of multiple prints. it
is
a
It remains, however, a method by which the photographer can achieve a more complete, elegant, subtle, and satisfactory translation of the image formed by his camera's lens than is available from any other system. Further, while it is
way of making one thousand duplicate way to make one. Photographers assume
an impossibly tedious and expensive prints,
it
is
the best and cheapest
therefore that, until the techniques available to
them
are radically revised, their
and speculative work will continue to be done by the ancient and troublesome chemical methods.
most
serious, personal,
On
who
support of an angel can
work
the other hand,
now
is
that has
won
persuacied that
it
a
substantial audience (or
should have
a substantial
won
the
audience)
be photomechanically reproduced so well that the reproduction can
stand almost as
a fully
vested representative of the original print.
Not
quite,
but almost.
Serious photographers believe that photography
something larger aiul more inclusive than the sum ot all photographs made thus tar, larger even than all those that will be made in the future, and that the chief adventure of the medium lies not in using what is know'n but m learning more. It seems clear that the best, most interesting photographers have indentured themselves to this ideal, and that this generic artistic ambition has taken precedence over the claims of the specific subject matter with which they have chosen to work. To some degree, the mountain, or the historic human event, has been a pretext is
tor picture-making.
Nevertheless, cifics.
artists,
The photographer must depend on
unlike philosophers, must deal with physical speespecially, being least able
of
all
artists to
achieve
must be inferred from One family picnic on the banks of the Marne, clearly seen, may stand for civilization; one unfolding fern, for freedom. If this suggests the game that photographers play, it should be added that the game can be played well only in an environment in which the photographer is knowledgeable and at home, and in which the subtle distinctions of meaning synthesis,
its
opposite: symbol. Large issues
trivial data.
inherent in subject matter are understood and appreciated.
Adams one might
even more committed to the ideal of making one pertect photograph than he is to the goal of expressing the beauty and meaning of the wild landscape. But if he does not love and wish to understand the wild landscape, where will he find the energy and tenacity needed to see his subject, coldly and clearly, as a In the specific case ot Ansel
picture?
XI
guess that he
is
Adams was born
in 1902, in San Francisco. He began to photograph American West more than fifty years ago, before the Model A had begun to replace the Model T. At that time there were no superhighways, no motels, and no passenger airlines. San Francisco and New York were, by crack train, four splendid days apart. In those days the world was still a reasonably commodious place, and it was natural to assume that its various parts would retain their discrete, articulated character if they could be protected from the depreciations of the lumber, mineral, and water barons. Conservation then was a matter of seeking the support of the people against the encroachment of the powerful few. If one could describe in photographs how much like Eden was Yosemite Valley the electorate would presumably save it from its its exploiters. It was not foreseen that the people, having saved it, would consider it their own, nor that a
Ansel
the landscape ot the
million pink-cheeked Boy Scouts, greening teenage backpackers, and middleaged sightseers might, with the best of intentions, destroy a wilderness as surely as the most rapacious ot lumbermen, who did his damage quickly and left the land to recover if it could. It has developed, in other words, that to photograph beautifully a choice vestigial remnant ot natural landscape is not necessarily to do a great favor to its future. This problem is now understood, intuitively or otherwise, by many younger photographers of talent, who tend to make landscapes of motifs that
have already been fully exploited and that have therefore nowhere to go but up. It is difficult today for an ambitious young photographer to photograph a pristine snowcapped mountain without including the parking lot in the foreground as a selt-protecting note ot irony. In these terms Adams' pictures are perhaps anachronisms. They are perhaps the last contldent and deeply felt pictures of their tradition. It is possible that Adams himself has come to sense this. The best of his later pictures have about them a nervous intensity that is almost shrill, a Bernini-like anxiety, the
of a violin string stretched tight. It does not seem likely that a photographer of the future will be able to bring to the heroic wild landscape the passion, trust, and belief that Adams has brought to it. If this is the case, his pictures are all the more precious, for they then stand as the last records, for the young and the future, of what they they will be a souvenir of what was missed. For the aging for a little while brilliance
—
—
lost.
John S^arkou'ski
xn
PORTFOLIO ONE Twelve Photographic
Prints
by
ANSEL ADAMS
SAN FRANCISCO
1948
To photograph the surfaces
and record
manity which is
truthfully^
and
effectively is to see beneath
the qualities of nature
or are latent in all things. Impression
live
not enough. Design, style, technique,— these, too, are
must reach further than impression or
not enough. Art
self-revelation. Art, said Alfred Stieglitz,
of
and hu-
life.
And
life,
or
its
eternal evidence,
Some photographers wood and their
stone
it
is
everywhere.
impose the dominations of
spirit.
Others come before reality
more tenderly and a photograpli
ment of love and
the affirmation
take reality as the sculptors take
and upon
own thought and
is
revelation.
A
to
true
them
is
an instru-
photograph need not
be explained, nor can be contained in words.
Expressions without doctrine,
my
photographs are
presented here as ends in themselves, images of the endless
and
moments of the to the spirit
world. I dedicate them to the
of Alfred
Stieglitz.
memory
List of the Prints
1.
MOUNT McKINLEY, ALASKA
1948
2.
SAGUARO CACTUS, SUNRISE, ARIZONA
1946
3.
RAPIDS
4.
MORMON TEMPLE,
5.
VINE AND ROCK, ISLAND OF HAWAII, T. H.
1948
6.
REFUGIO BEACH, CALIFORNIA
1946
7.
THE WHITE CHURCH, HORNITOS, CALIFORNIA
1946
8.
ROOTS, FOSTER GARDENS, HONOLULU, T.H.
1948
9.
OAK TREE, SNOW STORM, YOSEMITE
1948
BELOW VERNAL
VALLEY
FALL, YOSEMITE
MANTI,
UTAH
19-*8
1948
NEAR JUNEAU, ALASKA
10.
TRAILSIDE,
11.
ALFRED STIEGLITZ, AN AMERICAN PLACE, NEW YORK
1938
12.
CLOUDS AROVE GOLDEN C.-VNYON, DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
1946
1948
PORTFOLIO ONE Issued 10 copies
made
in
an edition of 75 copies
especially for E. IVeyhe,
THIS
IS
Typography by
the
New
COPY NUMBER
Grabhorn
Press,
San Francisco
York City
Prints 1,2, 3,4, 6, 7,9, Prints 5, 8, 10,
and
1 1
and 12 are contact prints from 8 x 10 negatives. are enlargements from
8 X IC negatives were
All
SH
x -tH and
made on Panchromatic
lilm of
4x5 negatives.
Vi
cslon speed 50.
rhe smaller negatives were made on Panchromatic lilm of \^ eston speed 100. Negativesofl,2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 12 were developed in Metol-sultite (Kodak Negatives of 5, 8, and IC were developed
Negative of b was developed in a
Ansco
47.
a deep tank with
Negative of No.
1
D-2.3).
Kodak Durol. 1
was developed
pyrocatechin developer.
prints
.\ll
in
in
veloped
and enlargements made on a bromo-chloride projection paper, de-
in Metol-Cilycin,
and
lightly
toned
in
Selenium.
The prints are dry-mounted: should any print become partially or entirely unmounted, do not attempt
who
to
re-mount with paste or glue. Consult someone
understand.^ the process of dry mounting.
Protect the surfaces of the prints with the paper mter-Ieaves at prints are not
This portfolio
is
times
when
one of a limited edition, and the 12 prints herein sliould not
be separately disposed 12
all
on displav. Prmts on exhibit should alwavs be hung underglass.
of. .\nsel
photographs in Portfolio One.
.\dams reserves
all
reproduction rights to the
I
/
Plate
I
/
Plate 2
I
/
Plate
3
I
/
Plate 4
I
/
Plate
5
I
/
Plate 6
I
/
Plate 7
I
/
Plate 8
>
I
/
Plate 9
>
I
/
Plate 10
1
I
/
Plate
1
I
/
Plate 12
PORTFOLIO
TWO
THE NATIONAL PARKS &
MONUMENTS PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANSEL ADAMS
SAN FRANCISCO
1950
ABOUT T\^ENT\-Fn'E YEARS AGO, AT THE HOME OF MY DEAR FRIEND CEDRIC VRIGHT IN BERKELEY, HE.\RT.
I
FIRST
MET A LITTLE MAN
\^
ITH A AnGHT\'
HE SAW SOME OF MY EARLIEST MOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY AND
PROMPTLY, WITH CONVICTION, HE ENCOURAGED ME TO FOLLOW THE CAMERA. THROUGHOUT THE YEARS HE WAS AN UNFAILING FRIEND ANT) PATRON, A SOURCE OF WISDOM AND BELIEF \N
SPIRIT.
LNFORMED
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY AND
IN
\SITH A LU.MINOUS
THE INTEGRITY OF THE
INDIMDUAL, HE BROUGHT TO ME -AND TO COUNTLESS OTHERS - AID AND
CONFIDENCE AND A CLEAR SENSE OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE CREATHE SPIRIT. IN
GRATITUDE FOR THE FAITH HE PLACED I
IN
ME SO LONG AGO,
DEDICATE THIS WORK TO THE MEMORY OF
ALBERT BENDER
To
the LniteJ States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, and to the
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and
Moe,
made
I
e.xpress
my
possible the creation of these photographs.
photographer,
its
Secretary-General, Henry Allen
deep appreciation for the understanding and invaluable assistance which
my warmest
The
And
to Pirkle Jones,
good friend and
thanks for his aid in the production of this portfolio.
edition
is
limited to 100
numbered copies
and five presentation
copies.
COPY NUMBER
Typography by The Grahhorn Press
fine
List of the Prints 1.
Noon clouds. Glacier National
2.
Forest, early morning,
Rainier National Park, Washington
1949
3.
Dunes, hazy sun, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
1941
4.
White House Ruin, morning. Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona 1949
5.
From Hurricane
6.
Moth and stump, Interglacial Forest, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska 1949
7.
Sentinel Rock, winter dusk, Yosemite National Park, Cahfomia
1944
8.
Afternoon sun, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
1943
9.
In Joshua Tree National
10. Rain,
1 1.
Mount
Park, Montana
1942
HiU, Olympic National Park, Washington
1948
Monument, California
1942
Beartrack Cove, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska
Dead
tree.
1949
Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona
12. Zabriski Point,
1947
Death Valley National Monument, Cahfomia
19^2
13.
Old Faithful Geyser, late evening, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
1942
1-+.
The
1949
15.
Dawn, Autumn
Atlantic,
Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park, Maine forest.
Great
Smoky Mountains
1948
National Park, Tennessee
NOTES The contact
prints (Nos.
largements (Nos.
1
,
2. 3. 4. 7. 8, 9. 1
5, 6, 10. 13.
1-+.
15\ were
1 ,
1
2).
and the en-
made on bromo-
The
surface of these photographs
is
delicate.
To
protect
them
from scratches and abrasions, the paper interleaves should
al-
When
chloride projection papers, developed in Metol-Glycin. occas-
ways be replaced whenever the
ionally supported
displayed on the wall, the prints should always be under glass.
by addition of Hydroquinone. and toned in
portfolio
is
handled.
selenium. The prints are dry-mounted on Strathmore Drawing Board. In the unlikely event of their becoming detached from the mounts,
DO NOT
attempt to use paste or glue. Have an
experienced professional remount them by the original
mounting
process.
dr)'-
This portfolio
is
conceived as an expressive whole.
of a limited edition, separately. Ansel
and the
fifteen prints are
Adams rescnes
all
It is
one
not available
reproduction rights to
the fifteeo photographs in Portfolio Two.
;
This then
Here
is
is life,
what has come
to the surface after so
many throes and convulsions
How curious! How real! Underfoot the divine
Each
is
not for
its
soil,
own
overhead the sun.
sake,
I say the whole earth and all the stars
in the sk\-
are for religion's sake.
I say no man has ever yet been half devout enough.
None has
ever yet adored or worship' d half enough,
None has begun
to think
Was somebody asking to See, your
how
divine he himself is,
and how
certain the future
is.
see the soul?
own shape and countenance, persons, substances, the running rivers, the rocks
beasts, the trees,
and sands.
All hold spiritual Joys and afterwards loosen them
How can the real body ever die and be buried?
A world primal again, vistas of glory incessant and branching You oceans that have been calm within me!
.
.
.
.
How I feel you, fathomless, stirring,
preparing unprecedented waves and storms
Hear the loud echoes of my songs
.
.
.
.
.
WALT
\t"HlTMAN
Starting from
Paumanok
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Plate 2
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V
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Plate
3
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Plate 4
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Plate
5
II
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Plate 6
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Plate 7
II
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Plate 8
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Plate 9
II
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Plate 10
1
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H
PORTFOLIO THREE
YOSEMITE VALLEY Sixteen Original Photographic Prints
by
ANSEL ADAMS
SIERRA CLUB
:.
SAN FRANCISCO
i960
List of Prints 1.
2.
-MONOLITH,
THE FACE OF HALF DOME
MERCED RHER, CLIFFS OF CATHEDRAL ROCKS, ALTIMN
LO^TR YOSEMITE FALL
3.
TREES AND SNOW
4.
5.
EL CAPm\N, SUNRISE
6.
7.
TENAYA CREEK, SPRING RAIN \^"ATER .VND FO.OI
8.
9.
10.
13.
WLNTER STORM
DOG^^'OOD BLOSSOMS
11.
12.
BRANCHES IN SNOW
GRASS AND POOL
NEVADA
FALL, RAINBO\^'
RUSHING WATER, MERCED RH ER 14.
15.
16.
BRIDAL VEIL FALL
TREES ANT3 CLIFFS
H.ALF DOME,
THUNDER CLOUD
DEDICATED TO
NANCY AND BEAUMONT NEWHALL
YO SEMITE VALLEY, wonder
to
me, is always a sunrise, a
in a vast edifice of stone
and space.
music that exceeds the compeUing granite
cliff
know of no
I
spiritual
command
and dome, of patina of hght on rock and
whispering of the
falling,
flowing waters. At
glitter of
green and golden
sculpture, painting, or
of the soaring shape of
forest,
and of the thunder and
the colossal aspect
first
may dominate;
then we perceive and respond to the delicate and persuasive complex of nature. After the initial excitement we begin to sense the need to share the living realities of this
miraculous place.We
We may be also
filled
may resent the intrusion of urban
with regret that so
much
superficialities.
has happened to despoil, but
we can
respond to the challenge to re-create, to protect, to re-interpret the enduring
essence of Yosemite, to re-estabhsh
it
as a sanctuary
from the turmoil of the time.
How may we accomphsh this? Who
can define the moods of the wild places, the meaning of nature in domains
beyond those
of material use?
Here are worlds
of experience
the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The of nature
grasp
and the revelations of great
them only
beyond the world of
moods and
qualities
art are equally difficult to define;
we can
in the depths of our perceptive spirit.
Perhaps age must remember the clear perceptions of youth and return to the sensing of freshness, of strength, and of wonder; perhaps age needs to recall the
beginnings of comprehension of
mood and meaning and
to rekindle an apprecia-
tion of the marvelous, of being in resonance with the world. If a sensitive awareness of the natural world with experience spirit w411
man
nurtures his
and contemplation, his
remain young.
In these sLxteen photographs are
manv deep
Each
echoes of experience from more
represents, for me, a
moment of wonder.
than
fort)-
The
pictures are put together as a continual pattern of personal
years in Yosemite A alley.
mood and
re-
sponse; they do not attempt a complete pictorial exposition of Yosemite, nor are
they organized chronologically. A certain sequence is indicated for esthetic reasons,
yet each photograph should stand on
own
merit and appeal. This collection
is,
autobiography in photographic images, the selection of which
in a way, a personal is
its
based on emotional impulse and personal experience rather than on intellectual
or historical judgment.
Both the grand and the intimate aspects of nature can be rcAealed
Both can
pressive photograph.
stir
in the ex-
enduring affirmations and discoveries, and can
surely help the spectator in his search for identification with the vast world of natural beauty
and wonder surrounding him — and help him comprehend man's con-
— ANSEL ADAM S
tinuing need for that world.
NOTES The photographs herein cover a
considerable span of time
Dome,
(Monolith, the Face of Half
1
)
to
— from 1926
16) or by projection printing (Prints
1959 (Tenaya Creek, Spring
veloped
Raio, Print 7), but they are not arranged in chronological order. For
priate
those interested in photographic technique the following notes
utes
^-ill
be of
amounts
m
The negative materials used vary from Wratten
Glass Plates (Print 1)
diate
Ansco Super Hypan, and the cameras employed from standard view
cameras (8 x 10, 6^ x
8V4,
5x7 and
aingle-lens reflex. Negative
4 x
development
Kodak D-23 and DK-5C,and Ansco
except for Print
1,
where a deep red
Filters
were used sparingly,
filter (^V ratten
29) produced the in-
edition
1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9,
is
PLEASE NOTE cess they should
This
;
to
5 min-
A
second
for
10 minutes
in
Kodak hypo-
Kodak Selenium
down on
plastic screens
As the prints are mounted by the dry-mounting pro-
copies of which
lo the
become detached to
in
mounts
whole or
How— from the
indefinitelyin part
remount with ordinary adhesivesi take the
to a reputable photo-technician for
208 is
4
in water.
minutes was followed by imme-
fnr 5 to
remain firmly attached
mount, do not attempt
12, 15, and
limited to
for several
were fixed
and stored
Illustration Board.
were made on Kodak Medalist F double-weight paper (glossy,
The
hypo solution)
immersion (without rinsing)
ever, should any print
but not ferrotyped) by contact printing (Prints
prints
fixing bath, then rinsed
without application of heat. Ail prints were dry-mounted on Strathmore
tentionally dramatic effect. All prints
Edwal Orthozite. The
Kodak F-5
11, 13, and 14), and de-
occasional addition of appro-
Toner. The prints were then washed and dried face
images was Pyro,
47, and for the Hasselblad images (Prints
8 and 13) Kodak DK-20 and Edwal Minicol.
of
'ft'ith
eliminator solution, to which was added 100 to 200 cc
5) to the Hasselblad {2v* x 2v*)
for the large
4, 5, 8, 10,
Edwal Super-Ill developer
fixing (in plain
interest.
to
in
remounting
in a
dry-mounting
2CC are for sale.
Copy Number
TYPOGRAPHY BY THE GRABHORN PRESS, SAN FRANCISCO CASES BY PERRY DAVIS, BELMONT, CALIFORNIA I wish
to express
my
thanks to
this portfolio,
and
Don Worth who proi'ided
to all
my friends who gave
invaluable assistance in the preparation of
wise counsel
and encouragement.
print press.
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/
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WHAT
MAJESTIC
WORD
In memory of Russell Varian BY
ANSEL ADAMS PORTFOLIO FOUR
SIERRA CLUB
•
SAN FRANCISCO
1963
I
TEKLANIKA RIVER
MOUNT Mckinley national
park, alaska
II
SEQUOIA ROOTS, MARIPOSA GROVE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA III
LEAF,
GLACIER BAY NATIONAL MONUMENT, ALASKA
IV DUNES, OCEANO, CALIFORNIA
V CATHEDRAL PEAK AND LAKE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA VERNAL
FALLS,
VI YOSEMITE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA VII
CLEARING STORM HILLS, CALIFORNIA
SONOMA COUNTY
VIII
OAK TREE, SUNSET CITY SIERRA FOOTHILLS, CALIFORNIA IX CASTLE ROCK SUMMIT ROAD ABOVE SARATOGA, CALIFORNIA
X NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST REDWOODS XI ORCHARD, EARLY SPRING NEAR STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA XII SIESTA LAKE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA
STORM
SURF.
XIII TIMBER COVE, CALIFORNIA
XIV TUOLUMNE MEADOWS YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA
XV SIERRA NEVADA, WINTER EVENING FROM THE OWENS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
The production
photographs of the natural scene seemed from
of a Portfolio of creative
The
the start to be an appropriate expression of tribute and affection for Russell Varian. fact that original prints
were considered gave
would obtain from reproductions
a
more
intense validity to the project than
no matter how
in a book,
fine they
might
be.
In addition,
the excerpts from his writings, and the poetry of his father, John O. Varian, accentuate the
highly personal character of this presentation. In selecting from a considerable table
photographs
for inclusion in
intellect
and mystical perceptions.
was not
a place-gatherer, or a
as
prey for
clouds, lights lated in
him
To him
His
forests as a
a
grandeur of
the places, things and
spirit
moods
was constantly aware
a
man
nature was a fundamental spiritual in
any
way
magnihcence
in this Portfolio
is
reality.
He
approach the world
affair
with the rocks,
Divine Performance in which
vast
of great
poet father, his exposure to the subtle
youth, and his life-long love
and
of a
of
mind and
related in
Russell Varian loved. In
some
some the
we
live,
trees,
accumu-
heart unique in our time. direct or indirect
essences of light
way
to
and space
m others the substance of rock and wood, and the luminous insistence of growing transformed into what the
things. Shapes of nature,
and the perceptive
spirit,
intention to present natural world
— through
And
heart of Russell Varian
may
Carmel, California
as
medium
through them
and patient benedictions
October i ig6}
the
which may have meaning
to him.
artist calls
forms by the controlled eye
are presented here as the equivalents of experience.
such equivalents could never be mclusive,
meaning
I
Irish forebears, his
and storms comprising the
Hence, every photograph
dominate;
Portfoho
this
images the particular and inevi-
of appropriate
mountain-winner, or did he
egotistical conquest.
beauty of dunes and
number
I
of
hope
infinite. It
photography— intuitive observations
to the spectators, just as they
be re\'ealed— at
of nature
the experiences are practically
Obviously
that
least
some
a
of noble
world
in
my
of the
might have had
of the quality, sensitivity
suggested to
and the benefactions
is
need
and
of the vast
men. Ansel
Adams
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS What Majestic Word
(Portfolio Four) by Ansel
Foundation and published
the Sierra Club.
bj'
assistance of the following individuals:
and
for her
monograph on
Russell Varian; Dr. and Mrs.
Russell Varian and his father
detail in
Ansel
and printing of the
texts
and the individual print
De Cock
mounting, spotting and collating the
Adams
advice and
Eric Varian of
and editing the excerpts from the writings of
John Varian, and otherwise lending her experience and
for the preparation of the cases; Miss Liliane
made
Edward Ginzton, and Mr. and Mrs.
in selecting
ability to the general
and design qualities of the production; Lawton Kennedy, Printer, San Francisco, for
attention to the design
the Varian
Dorothy Varian for her constructive advice and encouragement
Halq'on; Nancy Newhall for her valued help
literary
Adams is produced under the sponsorship of The Foundation expresses appreciation for the
his
devoted
folders; Perry Davis, Burlingame,
for her assistance to
Ansel
Adams
in the
arduous
prints.
wishes to express his deep appreciation for permissions to use the pictures which were
for certain projects
and
clients:
photographs
I, II,
III,
XII and
XFV were made under a Guggenheim
Fellowship, photograph VII courtesy of the Skirball Ranch, photograph VIII courtesy of Sunset Petro-
leum Corporation, photograph
X courtesy of the Sierra Club and photograph XIII courtesy, Timber Cove
Properties.
This edition of
Portfolio Four
is
This
limited to
is
260
copies,
250
of which are for
copy number
Fifteen original prints by Ansel
Adams, Carmel
Typography and Printing by Lawton Kennedy, San Francisco Cases by Perry Davis, Burlingame, California
sale.
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/
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3
IV
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/
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V ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^H^H^^^^^^K
^^^ft
H ^m ^P
^B-
1
I
•^w^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H
«
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1
^^^^^^^1
<K^
^1
4jfl^29^^l
-i^^P 1^
j^^^^hII^^^^^^h
^^^^^yWa^^^K^Zy—
^_
^HEh^^HHk ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HB||^^^^^^^
.^^^^^^I
IV
/
,"
jfl
"^^9
I^Hi
Plate 6
IV
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IV
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1
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12
IV
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\
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/
Plate 14
IV
/
Plate ij
ANSEL ADAMS PORTFOLIO V
PARASOL PRESS, LTD. 1970
NEW YORK
INTRODUCTION Man may his
own
feci
world.
m chaos
And
is
sa\'
if
would turn
tins
which includes photography, has ever
histor\- of art,
most of those images
that
I
statement
world contains or suggests more images than the
this
wait somewhere for
even
them form.
"â&#x20AC;&#x201D;until the artist gnes
around and
whole
God moving above the chaos ot this world and creatrng Ansel Adams sa\'s there are onl\' shapes-"configurations
he
\'Ou.
Man
has discovered
New images cr\' out
\ou ha\e turned from the
literal
\'et
discovered.
endure, and
still
to be seen and realized,
own
into \our
mystical or
mathematical world.
So
the space
limited onl\'
and grow
we must lue b\'
ourselves,
in vision,
m â&#x20AC;&#x201D; cosmic, planctarw personal â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and changes constantl\-
understanding and compassion.
portfolio of photographs proves
images
It is a
I
it
as
new
ourselves change
And
this
have ever seen.
dazzling collection, and few have been seen before
aspect of Ansel
Yosemite and Yellowstone,
And now he them
fangs ot
a
looks
at
as
some of
if
in
any form,
and quality. They convey
Adams, who has never been
on some of the most be-photographed
seen
we
completel\as any collection of
certainK' not together and in prints of this size a
as
is
afraid to look afresh
places in the world, such as
only the wind had passed that wa\' before.
his favorite subjects as
before. The strange pinnacles of the
if
even he had never
Alabama
once might\- mountain range, soar up
Hills, the last
like ancient i^ods,
glittering with the telescoped planes of their multi-eroded textures.
stark black-and-white of
The
Lone Pine Peak, the harsh desolation of the
Mudhills, where nothma grows, are followed
b\'
two
might expect from Adams, the moon swept up by
ima^^es such as
we
ethereal clouds in a
never-never land, and the excjuisite tapestr\' of forest and stream
at
dusk.
-
The
Pctroi^l\-phs,
incised
with rhcir flecina or meditative beasts -antelopes?
on shadowed locks
festif\- to
chase ot these ma^^ic animals.
Bhick Sun, an
imas;:;e
a total life
\\
oman behind
experience.
\W do
mountain sunlight and deep snows,
we ha\e
Man
in the
of the
the screen door, an almost ghostly
not need to is
The monumental White Stump broken then
of prnnitive
the m\stenoiis radiance
her face and her hands express her. She
And
]o\'
m\stical and disttirbing, and the nostalgia and
compassion tor the old image of
Then
the
is
a
know
her name;
the past lookuii^ at b\-
iis.
huge storms, weathered
b\-
high
profound and heroic symbol.
the ominous, tortuous Pipes with their gauges,
symbols of the Industrial Jungles of our land. WHiat
IS
Adams
tr\ing to say to us?
only photographs can to I
sum up
sav.
He
certain qualities
He
says he can't verbalize
says onl\' that his portfolio
and feelinas he has not
this portfolio. It
is a
seems to him
clarified before.
think that what none of us can put into words as \et,
once we open
about what
profound statement
is
clear within us
b\' a
great
photographer.
Nancy Ncwhall, igjo
PORTFOLIO V
1.
Pinnacles,
Alabama
2.
Mudhills, Arizona
3.
Lone Pine Peak,
Moon
0\scns Valley, California
Hills,
1947
Sierra
Nevada, California
Ca. i960
and Clouds, Northern California
1959
5.
Forest and Stream, Northern Cahlornia
1959
6.
Petroglyphs,
7.
The
8.
Woman
9.
White Stump,
4.
10.
1945
Monument
Valley,
Black Sun, Tungsten Hills,
Utah
Owens
1958
Valley, California
behind Screen Door, Independence, California
Sierra
Pipes and Gauges,
Nevada, California
West Virginia
1939
Ca. 1936
1939
Ca. 1944
Portfolio
V has
been produced in an edition oj lio copies, of which
There are 100 copies numbered
The publication of this
and
interest
of L.
M.
portfolio
Rosenthal
I
too are for
through too and to copies lettered
was made
& Co.,
A
through
sale.
J.
possible through the generosity
New
York.
The enlargements, b\ Ansel Adams, are made on Brovira paper ( Agfa-Gevaert), developed in
Kodak Dektol and
toned
m
selenium.
The\ are mounted on Strathmore j-ply Drawing Board.
Ansel
Adams
photographs
I,
states that, to the best
z, j,
that photographs 6,
z^,
j,
of his knowledge and belief
7 and 10 have never been printed
8 and 9 have never been printed
before,
in this form
and
only two or three smaller prints, proofs and a few reproductions in exhibit catalogues have been
made of
the latter. Portfolio
unique prints and no further prints will be made from
All rights reserved.
without
the
No
V
comprises
the negatives.
print herein can he reproduced in anv form
express permission of the photographer and the publisher.
This includes slides and microfiche
Design of
the introductory
pages by Adrian Wilson, San Francisco.
Composition in Centaur and Arrighi types by Mackenye Photolithography by George Waters, San Francisco.
& Harris,
Inc.,
San Francisco.
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/
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/
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5
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/
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/
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/
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/
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/Plate 10
ANSEL ADAMS PORTFOLIO VI
PARASOL PRESS, LTD NEW YORK 1974
PORTFOLIO
VI
Dedicated with deep ailection and respect to the
memory
GOTTARDO PIAZZONI 1872-1945
and
EDWARD WESTON 1886-1958
who
encouratjed
me
in so
man\' wa\'s to observe
the beaut\- oi the world and challenged interpret
it
through the
medium
me
to express
of photography.
and
of
FOREWORD
Ansel
Adams
having the strange experience of looking back tIirou£;h
is
more chan Htcv
\-ears
of
his \\ork.
Man\'
ol us have
had that curious
flash
of surprise and recognition when suddenly coming across some
earlv
and totalK' forgotten print or
was that good then!"
A moment
article,
"My
"Wh\-
later,
god,
I
didn't think
actually has the
it
I
whole
mood and meaning of that time!" Or, of course, the opposite reaction, "What trash!" and into the wastebasket or the fire. That latter decision may
later
been
really
be regretted, but most
artists
seldom
really regret;
good, they have been remarkably fecund.
A
if
they have
lot of things
have "boiled the pot"— and yet some aspect of social history
may
may
cling
to them; others are purely historical — people, places, houses, views, situations, ies
and
Of
and events that vanished long ago, and hence have value to societies, as indubitable
documentation.
the creative work, what goes to the
something achieved
at a greater
And
finally realized.
librar-
moment
there arc the great
fire
is
usually "a sketch" for
at a later
time— the
latent
image
moments some mechanical
fail-
ure or pure accident prevented from being fine negatives. These are the
hardest to throw out, because of their potentials,
way
to solve the
problems involved. Most
artists
if
you could find the
have had "burnings"—
cleansings, resurrections— but .Adams has not, unless the negatives were really hopeless. ite
Of
course he did suffer
darkroom — somebod\-
many
negatives,
left
a real fire, in
iq?8, in
the old dr\'mounting press
hisYosem-
on — he
lost
and so had to spend some time thereafter trying to
place the irreplaceable, because nothing ever happens exactl\- the
re-
same
as
bctorc. Snll,
number
,i
oi cavW nco.uivcs did siir\ivc, thanks moscK' ro
Edward and Chans Weston, on
dut\-, that
night oi
beside the bath-
fire,
tub, kill ot crnme and soot\- negatives, helping wash, rinse, to dr\' the results of rarely seen,
Hheen
and hang up
with the camera. So here, some
\-ears" ellort
some unknown, and some
familiar, are ten prints
rangmg
throui^h nearK thirt\' Nxars of
Adams' work. The ijamut of mood and
emotion
fair\-tale,
is
dark-wood with
]et
the
ijreater:
still
ik\uit\-and-the-Beast-in-the-
of Cradnaticii Drca- the exciuisite luminosit\- threaded
e]ualit\'
branches in Fresh Suow; the nostalcjic clutch
architectural splendor, flims\' as a stacje set, so
olumbia,
like C
early
mornina
touristed,
man's
m
II
up as
in sjhost
and briefness compared to
littleness
Edward
]Veston, little as
eucalyptus on whose roots he
town
fairl\-;
this earth he inhabits in
he
is,
And
sits.
is
bigger than the enor-
Cottardo Pw^.-on(,
8x10
certainh- his
in natural
major
work with and
more of
the
He
studio light.
"
too long and too un-
Yosemite
it-
have been spectacular, but they
time the public had
a
chance to
immense scope of his work, and we think he
is
right.
As with previous
thinks
portfolios,
is
it
some of
the photographs ma\' be contro-
-not the expected Adams. Some ma\'
ventional grace; others will welce^me
on Adams and
climbing
photographed
for the Sierra Club, for
tights for conser\-ation
have pigeonholed him.
versial,
camera
thinks he has been t\ped as "nature boy
self and his
see
of
of Sdvertoiu not yet
to his scaffolding to begin work, was nor posed, but was
Adams
towns
between the enormous peaks, and the sudden meditation on
he was with an
all
common
remembered
Post and Spandrel, seen in the pale clear light
hitc
after ram: the stiH little mininii
Antelope House. Yet
mous
at
his reactions to
his prints, since he
can
make now
the
most beautiful
was
man,
in his teens,
\'et
made
fall
from con-
newly-revealed perspective
his works,
surpass anything he has prints
as a
it
regret this
and nature. And, though
have been beautiful, the prints he
done
in the
in the past.
medium
Perhaps they are
of photography.
Beaumont and
Isiancx
Newhall
PORTFOLIO
EDWARD WESTON Cariwel Highlands, Califcrnui, l()^j
^
VI
ANTELOPE HOUSE RUIN Canwn
de Cbelly Xatioiial Mciiuinent. An^ctui.
ig^l
4-
MAROON
BELLS
near Aspen, Colorado, /gy/
SILVERTON Colorado, igji
6.
GRADUATION DRESS Yoseniite
1
California,
alley,
IQ^8
STILL LIFE San Francisco,
c.
ig^i
7-
8.
WHITE POST AND
ALDERS
SPANDREL
Prairie Creek Beach, Northern California,
c.
Columbia, California, /gjj lo.
GOTTARDO PIAZZONI FRESH Yoseniile
I
alley,
SNOW
California,
c.
IN HIS STUDIO /947
San Francisco,
c.
tgji
/949
PORTFOLIO VI
Portfolio
VI
There
The
has been produced in
are lOO copies
a
numbered
limited edition of i
made on Bro\
developed in Dektol and toned
Ansel
Adams
Schoellers Parole >-plv
states that, to his best
never appeared as
fine prints; that
that
knowledge and Nos.
6,
1,
in
rights reserved.
No
prints and
through
J.
paper Agfa-Gevaert\
ira
Selenium.
belief, photoj^raphs
7 and 9 have been
Nos.
in
2,
?,
,
and S have
rarelv printed in an\'
VI have been made
have been reproduced
VI comprises unique
A
are for sale.
Drawing Board, imported bv Flax of San Francisco.
these in Portfolio
Some of the photographs
AH
of which loo
Nos. 4 and 10 have been printed sparingK- over the
No prints of the quality of
Portfolio
copies,
through loo and lo copies lettered
enlargements, bv Ansel Adams, are
They are mounted on
no
\ears.
of any of the photographs.
books and journals over many
no further prints
will
form:
vears.
be made from these negatives.
print herein can be reproduced in any
form without
the e.xpress permission of the photographer and the publisher.
This includes
slides
and microfiche.
Design of the introductory text pages by Adrian Wilson of San Francisco.
Composition
in
Centaur and Arnghi types by Mackenzie
&
Harris, Inc., San Francisco.
Photolithography of the text pages by George Waters, San Francisco. Portfolio cases
I
b\-
Breu
er
&
Cantclmo,
New
York.
wish to express warmest appreciation to Ted Or^an, Phvllis Donohue and James Taylor for their m\aluable assistance in the production
of Portfolio VI.
VI
/
Plate
I
VI
/
Plate 2
VI
/
Plate
\
VI
;
Plate 4
VI
/
Plate
s
VI
/
Plate 6
VI
/
Plate 7
VI
/
Plate 8
\ ^
VI
/
Plate 9
~
- ^'^
ÂŤ->>.>
y
f>
*>*
mr
1
^
1
1
m
i
1
1
1
#'
1//
^^' H
S m
KW'
amti
VI
/
Plate 10
ANSEL ADAMS PORTFOLIO
PARASOL PRESS, LTD,
NEW YORK 1976
VII
PORTFOLIO
DciiicatCii to
David Hunter McAli '//;
VII
FOREWORD
This
portttilioiit orii^mal pi'ints represents a
phoioi^r.iphx'.
p.irri.il \ist.i
o{ ni\' lite
m
think of them as euiiiwilentsof expressionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; to borrow
I
Alfred Stiei^htz explicit term.
1
hope
that m\'
work
encourage
will
selt-expression in others and stimtilate the search for beaiit\' and
crearne excitement
To
repeat
a
in the i^reat
statement
world around
iis.
have freoiienrK' made: the neaarne
I
rable to the composer's score and the print to
performance
differs in subtle wa\'S.
When
I
now
of "Boards and Thistles, "
made o\er
excitement of the creatu'e
e\'ent are sharpl\- revu'ed.
sents the threshold of
\u\'
fort\- \'ears a^jo,
experience in the clear,
photoaraph\-; the essence of theCjrtnip oriii^inal
creatne impact
f
ar the neo;ative
the
wonder and
This imai^e represtraii^ht \ision
64 approach.
not onl\' retained
is
compa-
performance. Each
its
look
is
btir also
of
hiipe that the
1
expanded
b\ the
perceptions and techniques acquired o\ er the inter\ ening \ears.
Dedicatiiii^ this portfolio to
opportiinir\ to photiii;raph\-.
p,i\-
0\er
around excursions, response stimulated
Da\id Htinter McAlpin anes me the
homao;e to
a c^reat
at least fort\- \ears \isits, l^\'
at
the
Musetim
mutual
of
a
true benefactor of
our friendship has re\ol\ed
exchanv^e oi ideas, projecrs and the interests in creative work.
support made possible the form.ition raph\
friend and
Modern Art
ol the in
warm
His timeh'
Department of Photog-
New ^ork and
the Histor\- of Photoorraph\' at I^'inceton Unnersitw
the Cdiair of
Generous do-
nations from his fine collection of photOi^raphs ha\e benefited man\'
organizarums.
examples
ol
I
,im
proud
work from
New ^ork ( at\'
in iq^^b.
luv 1
that ann->ng his carl\' acquisitions were first
hnd
it
exhibition, at
An American
imagine how photography
ditlicult :o
might ha\e de\eKiped or w hat directions m\' own w taken
h.id
it
Place in
cirk
would have
not been for the vitality of efKirt and understanding he
contributed to the medium.
1
a
am both pleased and honored centur\-
m
iiriainal
a
medium
Polaroid Land print
vo\'age into the futtire.
nication, new
of expression and
m
New aspects of seeing, new
qualities of
image and new
if
1
cannot examine them
half
ever-
communication.
means
of
me a
ciimmu-
le\cls of subjective
and
While ha\e alwa\s wcM'ked with I
con\entional means and techniques,
which,
its
this pitrttolio represents for
intellectual ct^mprehension he ahead. fairb'
more than
the w orld of photo^raph\-, and to ha\e observed
expandin^^ potential as
The
to ha\e w orked throui^h
m m\'
I
anticipate
lifetime, w
ill
new departures
assure the
of future \ision and accomplishment. Ai}scl
Adams
Caruicl
May, igjb
power
PORTFOLIO
VII
I.
WHTFE BRANCHES
Mono
lake, Californm,igjo
2.
ARCHES. NORTH COURT
Mission Sm,
Xavur
del
Bm, Tucson, Arizona, ig68
3-
BOARDS AND THISTLES
5^//
Frannsco,Cal,Jornm,igjz
4-
TREE,
STUMP AND MIST
Northern GiscaJes, Uashnigton, igj8
5-
GERRY SHARPE
Ouray, Colorado, igj8
6.
ASPENS
Northern
New
Mexico, igj8
7-
INTERIOR OF TUMACACORI MISSION
Arij:pna, ca. ig^z
8.
CEMETERY STATUE AND
OIL DERRICKS
long Beach, Califorma,igjg
9-
HALF DOME, BLOWING
SNOW
Yosemite \'ationat Park. California, ca.igjj
lo.
EL CAPITAN. SUNRISE. WINTER
Yoscmite National Park,Cal,forn,a,ca.ig68
II.
SUNRISE.
MOUNT TOM
Sierra Nevada, California,ca.ig^8
12.
ORIGINAL POLAROID TYPE 52/POLAPAN LAND PHOTOGRAPH
PORTFOLIO
Portfolio \
There
No I
The
are
tod edition ot 11s copies, ot
thiousjh 100 and
made
b\
is
made from
Anscl
papers, developed in
Adams on Agfa-Gevaert Dektol and toned
Land photograph was made onT\pe camera.
The
title is
separate sheet herewith discusses elements
All rights reserved.
A
in
Bro\
ira
and
Selenium.
No
52
/
of San Francisco.
PolaPan Land Film directlv
on the verso of the mount.
of care and presentation of
prints herein can be reproduced in an\-
the prints in the portfolio.
form without
the express permission of the photographer and the publisher.
This includes
slides
and microfiche.
Design of the introductor\- text pages bv .Adrian Wilson of San Francisco.
Composition
in
Centaur and Arrighi tvpes
b\'
Mackenzie-Harris Corp.. San Francisco.
Photolitho^raphv of the text pages by George Waters. San Francisco. Portfolio cases bv BreÂŤer
I
&
Cantelmo,
wish to express thanks and appreciation to Alan Ross,
Jim Taylor, Andrea and for their invaluable
sale.
through O.
the negatives.
the Rising Paper Compan\-, distributed bv Flax's
original Polaroid
100 are for
viliicli
copies lettered
mounted on Lenox Museum 4-pK Mounting Board
in the
A
1111
1 1
1
further prints will be
Kodabromide
Thev
.1
numherej
he enlargements were
made bv
m
boi-n piodiicoci
II h.ts
are 100 copies
VII
Bill
New
Norman
York.
Locks. Phyllis
Donohu
Turnage and Bob Fcldman
encouragement and assistance
in the
production of Portfolio X'lL
VII
/
Plate
VII
/
Plate 2
VII
/
Plate
T.
VII
/
Plate
VII
/
Plate
s
VII
/
Plate 6
VII
/
Plate 7
VII
/
Plate 8
VII
/
Plate 9
VII
/
Plate 10
1
VII
/
Plate
1
Vll
/
Plate 12
.
LIST OF
PORTFOLIO
I.
THE PRINTS
ig4S
8.
Afternoon sun. Crater Lake National Park.
Oregon. 1943 1.
2. 3.
Mount McKmlcy,
Alaska, 1948
9.
Saguaro cactus, sunrise, Arizona, 1946 Rapids below Vernal Fall, Yosemite Valley,
10.
California, 194S
5.
Mormon Temple. Manti. Utah, i94cS Vine and rock. Island ot Hawaii, T.H., 194S
6.
Retiigio Beach, California,
7.
The White Church, Hornitos.
4.
i94('>
8.
snow storm, Yosemite
tree,
10. Trailside, 1
12.
3.
4.
6.
7.
National Park. Maine, 1949 forest. Great
Yosemite Valley
Noon
J
9 so
&
Smoky
New-
California, 1946
II,
1.
2.
Moiiuincuts
clouds. Glacier National Park,
3.
Montana, 1942 Forest, early morning. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, 1949 Dunes, hazy sun. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, 1941 White House Rum, morning. Canyon de
4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9.
III,
ig6o
Monolith, the face of Half
Merced River,
cliffs
Dome,
autumn, 1939 Lower Yosemite Fall, ca. 1946 Trees and snow, 1933 Branches in snow. ca. 1932 El Capitan. sunrise. 1956
Tcnaya Creek, spring rain. Water and foam. ca. I9_SS
ca.
Park, Washington, 1948
12.
Nevada
13.
Rushing water. Merced River,
Moth and stump, Interglacial Forest. Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska, 1949 Yosemite
National Park. C^alitornia. 1944
I.
1948
Winter storm. 1944 Dogwood blossoms, 1938 Grass and pool, ca. 193s
10. I
1927
of Cathedral Rocks,
Monument, Arizona, 1949 From Hurricane Hill, Olympic National
Sentinel Rock, winter dusk.
1942
Mountains National Park, Tennessee. 1948
Chelly National 5.
Dawn, autumn
PORTFOLIO
Tlie Satioiiiil Parks
2.
Place,
Zabnskie Point. Death Valley National
York, 1938 Clouds above Golden Canyon, Death Valley,
PORTFOLIO
1.
An American
Bay National
Mtmument, Alaska, 1949 Dead tree. Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona. 1947
15.
Valley,
near Juneau, Alaska, 1948
Alfred Stieglitz,
Rain, Beartrack Cove, Glacier
14.
Roots, Foster Gardens, Honolulu, T.H.,
Oak
Joshua Tree National Monument.
Monument, California, 1942 Old Faithful Geyser, late evening, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, The Atlantic, Schoodic Point, Acadia
13.
California, 1948
1
I.
12.
1948 9.
I
California,
1946
In
California, 1942
Fall.
rainbov\
14. Bridalveil Fall. ca. IS-
Trees and
](i.
Half
cliffs,
.
ca.
1947 ca.
1955
1952
1954
Dome, thunder
cloud, ca. 1956
PORTFOLIO
IV. 1963
10.
Pipes and gauges. West Virginia. i<;39
Uluu Majestic Word 1.
Teklanika River,
Mount McKinley
National
PORTFOLIO
VI.
1
974
Park. Alaska. 1947 2.
Sequoia roots, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California,
3.
Leaf, Glacier
ca.
1.
Bay TSIational Monument,
2.
Alaska, 1948 4. 5.
6.
4.
Park. California, ca. i960
5.
ca. 7.
Fall,
3.
Yosemite Valley, California,
1948
tree.
11.
ca.
7.
Sunset City, Sierra Foothills,
8.
1932
California. 1953
Alders. Prairie Creek Beach. Northern California, ca. 1949
Summit Road above
Saratoga,
9.
Fresh snow. Yc-)semite Valley. California, ca.
Northern California coast redwoods,
10.
i960
1947
Gottardo Piazzoni
in his studio.
San
Francisco. California, ca. 1932
Orchard, early spring, near Stanford University, California,
12.
San Francisco. California,
Still life.
Castle Rock,
ca.
SiKerton. Colorado. 1951 Graduation dress. Yosemite Valley,
White post and spandrel. Columbia.
Sonoma County
California. 1963 10.
1942
near Aspen, Colorado, 1951
California. 1948
California, 1962 9.
bells,
Hills.
Clearing storm.
Oak
Maroon
Monument, Arizona.
6.
California. 1951 8.
Antelope House Ruin. Canyon de Chelly National
Dunes, Oceano, California, 1963 Cathedral Peak and Lake, Yosemite National Vernal
Edward Weston. Carmcl Highlands, California, 1945
1950
ca.
1940
Yosemite National Park,
Siesta Lake,
PORTFOLIO
VII. 1976
California, ca. 1958 13.
Storm ca.
14.
surf.
Timber Cove.
California,
1.
i960
Nevada, winter evening, from the
Arches, north court. Mission San Xavier del
3.
Bac. Tucson. Arizona. 1968 Boards and thistles. San Francisco, California, 1932
Valley. California. 1962
6.
stump and mist. Northern Cascades. Washington. 1958 Gerry Sharpe. Ouray, Colorado, 1958 Aspens. Northern New Mexico. 1958
7.
Interior
4.
PORTFOLIO
V. igyo 5.
1.
Pinnacles.
Alabama
Owens
Hills.
Valley.
California. 1945 2.
Mudhills. Arizona. 1947
3.
Lone Pine Peak. ca.
Sierra
Moon
5.
Forest and stream. Northern California, 1959
7.
and clouds, Northern California. 1959
Petroglyphs.
Valley. Utah. 1958
The Black Sun. Tungsten
Hills,
8.
Woman
9.
White stump, ca.
1936
Sierra
9.
statute
and
oil derricks.
National Park, California,
ca.
10.
El Capitan. sunrise, winter.
11.
Sunrise.
National Park. California,
Mount Tom.
ca.
Sierra
1955
Yosemite 1968
Nevada,
California, ca. 1948 12.
Nevada. California,
Long
Beach, California, 1939 Half Dome, blowing snow. Yosemite
behind screen door. Independence,
California, ca. 1944
1952
Cemetery
Owens
Valley, California, 1939
of Tumacacori Mission, Arizona,
8.
i960
Monument
Tree,
ca.
Nevada. California.
4.
6.
Lake, California,
2.
Park, California, 1941
Owens
Mono
1950
Tut^lumne Meadows. Yosemite National
15. Sierra
White branches.
Type 52 Land Photograph (Newel Post, Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1975) Original Polaroid PolaPan
$25.00
FPT
Ansel Adams, 1976; photograph
Š by
Arnold
Newman
713953
ISBN D-fl212-1122-b 00002450