A Beautiful World | Part I

PETER

FETTERMAN

The power of photography lies in its ability to ignite emotions across barriers of language and culture. This selection of 120 unique and heartening photographs from the 20th century, compiled by pioneering collector and gallerist Peter Fetterman, offers an inspiring overview of the medium while paying homage to masters of the art, from the bizarre Boschian fantasies of Melvin Sokolsky to the haunting humanity of Ansel Adams’s family portraits, from Miho Kajioka’s interpretation of traditional Japanese aesthetics to the joyful everyday scenes of Evelyn Hofer; each photograph speaks of tranquillity, peace, and hope for the future. The Power of Photography by Peter Fetterman is available through the Peter Fetterman Gallery as well as through all good bookshops, worldwide. ISBN: 978-178884-122-1

The Power of Nature: A Beautiful World January 14th – April 1st 2023

PART I:

Ansel Adams | Wynn Bullock | Paul Caponigro

Gregory Conniff | George Fiske | Martine Franck Flor Garduno | Henry Gilpin | André Kertész

Don McCullin | Kurt Markus | Ryan McIntosh

John Edward Sache | Sebastiao Salgado | Charles Scowen | John Szarkowski | Isaiah West Taber George Tice |Don Worth

You can reach us at the gallery in Santa Monica

T +1 310-453-6463 info@peterfetterman.com

Our UK and Europe representative based in London is Kate Stevens

T +44 7766 684300 kate@peterfetterman.com

The full archive of The Power of Photography series can be viewed at www.peterfetterman.com

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On the surface this might seem an image just of some twisted wood, but in the hands of a master it becomes something else, a deep and profound spiritual experience that goes beyond its simple subject matter. I think this is one of Adam’s greatest images.

Ansel Adams

Sequoia roots, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California, 1950 (from Portfolio Four: What Majestic Word) Signed in pencil on recto Gelatin Silver Print Image 9.5 x 7.5, Paper 14 x 16 (AA21-2)

“To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces and to record the qualities of nature and humanity which live or are latent in all things.”

~ Ansel Adams

the face of all the present turmoil and unrest and unhappiness…..what can a photographer, a writer, a curator do?

….To make people aware of the eternal things, to show the relationship of man to nature, to make clear the importance of our heritage, is a task that no one should consider insignificant. These are days when eloquent statements are needed.”

~ Beaumont Newhall in a letter to Ansel Adams. 3rd May, 1954

Ansel Adams 1902-1984

Rock and Grass, Moraine Lake, Sequoia National Park, CA, 1932 (Printed 1974)

Signed in pencil on mount recto; Titled & dated in ink with artist’s copyright stamp on mount verso Gelatin Silver Print Image - 14.25”x18”, Mount 22”x28”, Matted - 24”x30”

“In

~ Ansel Adams from a letter to David McAlpin

February 3, 1941

I recently came across the beautiful image of a simple moth on a tree stump and was immediately captivated by it. So simple but so haunting and just exquisite and magical in its presentation of everyday natural things.

Ansel’s genius eye saw beauty everywhere, even in the most commonplace objects that you and I would probably not even notice.He transforms a simple moth and a piece of stump into an almost spiritual experience made transcendent by the sheer power and voice of the print.

Ansel Adams 1902-1984

Moth and Stump Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska, 1949 (Printed 1950) Signed in pencil on verso. Stamped and numbered on recto.

Vintage Gelatin Silver Print Image - 6.5”x8”, Mount - 14”x18”, Matted - 16”x20” Edition 76 of 105 (AA18-44)

“To the complaint “”There are no people in these photographs!” I respond: “There are always two people: The photographer and the viewer”

~ Ansel Adams

“The whole world is, to me, every much “alive”-All the little growing things, even the rocks. I can’t look at a swell bit of grass and earth, for instance without feeling the essential life, the things going on within them. The same goes for a mountain or a bit of the ocean, or a magnificent piece of old wood.”

~ Wynn Bullock

When one looks at a Wynn Bullock photograph carefully and his photos invite quite contemplation unlike almost anyone else in the history of photography one cannot but be amazed by the sheer technical mastery he possessed.The other qualities are the depth of perception and the creation of such quiet beauty. His prints are beyond transcendent and so quiet and haunting. One is literally awestruck as I have been since I first encountered them. They are haunting and like a favorite piece of music one returns again and again to discover additional meaning and pleasure.

Wynn Bullock 1902-1975 Horsetails and Log, 1957 (Printed before 1965) Signed in pencil on recto, titled and dated on verso Silver gelatin print Image - 7.5”x9.5”, Mount - 13”x15”, Matted - 16”x20” (WBK19-2)

“In my search to find an opposite to reality, I discovered that if reality is the knowable and the potentially knowable, the opposite consists of things that the mind can’t comprehend. Among those things are keys to the existence of everything. The further we delve into what we are and what things are, the more mysterious we and they become.”

~ Wynn Bullock

I find myself being drawn more and more to nature these days. It is so important to tune out all the noise we are constantly subjected to, literally and figuratively, both for our physical and mental health. No one appreciated nature and its restorative powers more so than Wynn Bullock. When I look at one of his lyrical images I feel I am standing next to him and he helps me see and feel what he is experiencing. He is a poet of light.

Wynn Bullock 1902-1975 Ocean and Setting Sun, 1957 (Vintage) Signed in ink on recto Vintage Gelatin Silver Print Image - 7.5”x9.5”, Mounted - 13”x15”, Matted - 16”x20” (3218)

“Light is the source of everything. It is what makes things visible to the eye. It is also what holds a rock together. My thinking has been deeply affected by the belief that all things are some form of radiant energy. Light is perhaps the most profound truth in the universe.”

Northern California was the perfect place for Wynn Bullock to live and work. The climate there certainly brought out the best in him. He was deeply connected to that location as was many of his esteemed contemporaries and friends such as Edward Weston and Ansel Adams and Brett Weston. There he realized that there was much more to the world than just meets the eye and his life and work was dedicated to showing us this.

Wynn Bullock 1902-1975

Sea Palms, 1968 (Printed 1973)

Signed and dated on mount recto. Titled, dated and stamped on verso. Gelatin Silver Print Image - 7.5”x9.5”, Mount - 13”x15”, Matted - 16”x20” (WB21-5)

“Whenever I find myself stuck in the ways I relate to things, I return to nature. It is my principal teacher, and I try to open my whole being to what it has to say.”

~ Wynn Bullock

~ Paul Caponigro

Paul has gone along in his own distinct manner, quietly and with grace and sensitivity to everything around him for over 70 plus years now and has created a unique body of work that very few photographers can come anywhere close to emulating.To call him a Master of his craft are not sufficient words to describe what he has accomplished. One just has to examine the body of his work to be left speechless. And in awe.

Paul Caponigro

Snow & Trees, Cuba, New Mexico

Signed in pencil on mount recto

Gelatin Silver Print

Paper 16”x20”, Matted 22”x28” (PC22-11)

“Silence and Presence. Both are needed in order to see and feel and make a photograph.”

Paul, like Ansel Adams, started his career immersed in performing the piano. Then they both moved over into the world of photography. Both arenas required an intense focus and dedication, continued practice and immense passion and sacrifice. This is evident in the sublime work they both created.Fellow travelers. We are so fortunate to be the recipients of their immense talents.

Paul Caponigro Kentucky Trees, 1965 Signed, titled and dated in pencil on mount recto Gelatin silver print Paper 9-3/4”x14-3/4”, Mount 14-3/4”x20-1/4”, Matted 18”x23” (PC22-21)

Photo: Copyright The Artist Courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery

“Music chose me but photography needed me.The Gods of music on the mountain on the Right were called upon by the mountain of photography as art on the Left. They said “We are so young and know so little can you please give us something from your realm, somebody to come to invest our photography with the power of music?”. So I became a photographer. The Gods of music sent me over. In both cases I was chosen by music in order to put it into photography.”

~ Paul Caponigro

dreams locked in silver. Through this work it was possible, if only for brief moments to sense the thread which holds all things together. The subtle suggestions generated by configurations of cloud and stone, of shape and tone, made the photograph a meeting place from which to continue on an even more adventurous journey through a landscape of reflection, of introspection.”

~ Paul Caponigro

Paul was on a two year teaching assignment in New York City. Big cities and Paul’s temperament are not an ideal long term match.He found some kind of coping method and spiritual peace by spending time in Connecticut in the town of Redding and created this,one of his most primal and elegiac images.

Paul Caponigro

Reflecting Stream, Redding, CT, 1968 (Printed Later)

Signed in pencil on recto Gelatin silver print Image - 16”x20”, Mount - 22”x28”, Matted - 24”x30” (PC131238)

“All that I have achieved are these

“At the root of creativity is an impulse to understand, to make sense of random and often unrelated details. For me, photography provides an intersection of time, space, light and emotional stance. One need to be still enough, observant enough and aware enough to recognize the life of the materials to be able to “hear through the eyes.”

~ Paul Caponigro

Taken almost 50 years ago I am still drawn to this image with the same attraction for its simplicity and beauty and desire to live with it as I was the first time I saw it.

Paul Caponigro 1932

Bare Tree & Adobe Wall, Taos, New Mexico, 1975/Printed 1976 Signed, titled & dated in pencil on recto; mounted to a 22 x 18” archival matte

Vintage Gelatin Silver Print 11.5 x 8.25 inches (PC14-1)

“To work, by way of the photographic image, toward an understanding of that relation which exists between one’s inner activity and ones’s external environment.The flow of life in nature particularly attracts me. Simply because there I can record the subtle as well as the obvious results of the moving forces and principles which permeate my whole environment.To create beauty of image. Fineness of the tonal values in the black and white photographic image, for me, is much more than producing technically excellent prints. I believe it can generate an emotional response in the viewer as readily as any human situation, provided one takes the time to allow it to come through.”

~ Paul Caponigro on his practice

When you are in Paul’s presence you know you are in the presence of aspecial human being who exudes wisdom and insight. He is articulate andprofound, but never pretentious. I see him as a kind of shaman, an elderwho is a spiritual guide who has taught me much over all these yearswithout ever pretending to be a teacher. I think his images work on aspecial plane of enlightenment.

Paul Caponigro Alberta, Canada, 1978 Signed in pencil on mount recto Gelatin Silver Print Image: 9 x 12.5 in. Paper: 11 x 14 in. (PC15-1)

“I’ve signed up for the nurture of nature— the idea that place shapes us, the idea that large sky, open water, dense woods, crowded buildings, climate, topography, hills, valleys, and fields form the physical rhythms of the world. Those first rhythms are the foundation for our patterns of sight and also for our most profound sense of home. And it is the idea of home, this deep connection to one place or region, that engages me as a photographer.”

~ Gregory Conniff

Gregory Conniff (United States, b. 1944)

Yalobusha County, Mississippi, 2004/Printed 2007 Signed, dated & numbered in pencil on verso Archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper (GC15-11485)

George Fiske

Storm Breaking Over Cathedral Rocks, 1911

Titled and dated in pencil on verso Vintage sepia toned silver print 10x13”

“Witnesses, guardians, sanctuary of another time, of another way of living, of lost signs and realities that have become invisible to our blind eyes, Flor Garduño’s portraits deserve the poignant definition of time that Socrates gave us: ‘The moving portrait of eternity’

~Carlos Fuentes

Flor Garduño 1957

Nube, Jocotitlán, México, 1982 Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 inches; Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso (24960)

Henry Gilpin’s photographs mirror the quiet, yet vital, man that made them. With a consistency of vision that spans nearly four decades, Henry’s respect for his photographic subjects reflects his reverence for the planet and his dedication to the process and tradition of photography... the boldness of contrast and design in his images invites you to come closer. If you accept this invitation, you will be richly rewarded with subtlety and nuance.

~John Sexton

Henry Gilpin (United States, B. 1922 - 2011) Oak Tree, California, 1975 Signed in pencil on mount recto Gelatin Silver Print Image - 8”x10”, Matted - 16”x20” (HG21-51)

~ Ryan McIntosh

It is so refreshing to come across the work of a young talented photographer who respects and admires and in fact practices the tradition of the hand crafted silver analogue print. Ryan doesn’t take the easier way out that the world of digital photography offers. He is a classicist. He is there in his darkroom working long hours and days to produce the perfect print that fulfills his initial vision of the subject matter he encounters .“Surfers” is a prime example of his talent. No online representation of the power and beauty of this print comes anywhere close to the actual physical experience of holding it in your hards. I hope you can catch a wave over to the gallery and see it in person, I promise you you will not be disappointed.

Ryan McIntosh

Surfers, San Onofre, CA, 2021 Signed, titled, dated in pencil on verso with photographers stamp. Gelatin Silver Print Image 16x20”, Mount 20x24”, Matted 24x30” Print #3 (RM22-04)

“We often think of Southern California surfers ripping on giant waves, but if you drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, this is the sight you’ll often see. Humans and the landscape harmoniously connecting. The surfers exist as mere small black shapes on the vast horizon of the calm, foggy sea.

Making this image made me realize that surfing is a lot like photography… it’s all about waiting and watching. Both the surfer and the photographer exist in this shared moment of contemplation.”

Ryan McIntosh

Sunrise, Elysian Park, Los Angeles, CA, 2019 Signed and stamped on verso Gelatin Silver Print Image - 7.5 x 9.5”, Paper - 13 x 15”, Mat - 16 x 20” (RM21-01)

No one has captured the timelessness and has explored the rugged yet romantic spirit of the cowboy better than Kurt has. He places you right there in the landscape and with the people who have chosen to live in this unique way.A man of quiet determination who considers himself so fortunate to have been given a gift and to have found photography and made his life in it. And I feel fortunate too to have found the beauty and power of his work.He is in a class of his own.

Kurt Markus 1947-2022

White Horse Ranch, 1984, printed 2005 Signed in pencil on recto Signed, titled and dated in pencil on verso Gelatin silver print image- 17 1/2 x 14”, paper- 20 x 16”, mat- 24 x 20” (KM22-25)

Photo: Copyright The Artist Courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery

“I was not born to ranching. I was born a day dreamer and I know of no slot for one of those on any ranch.But the awful truth is that I love all of cowboying even when everything has gone wrong and it’s not looking to get any better.”

~ Kurt Markus

of

It doesn’t exist for me. It’s just like thin air. It takes guts to make a print. You know you have to convince yourself that this is you, that you’ve made this and that you’re putting your name on it and you also have to believe that maybe somebody else either can appreciate the work you’ve done or can appreciate that this is you. There’s nothing else to hide behind.”

~ Kurt Markus

Kurt belongs to a dying breed. He is himself an endangered species. An artist who places themself deep into the tradition of their craft.

When you hold the physical print in your hands that he has poured his soul into it is almost like a religious experience. It is a miracle that places you immediately into the narrative of the story he is telling and the people he so deeply cares about.

Kurt Markus 1947-2022

Monument Valley, Utah, 2011 (Printed 2022)

Signed in pencil on recto; Signed, titled, dated in pencil and stamped with photographer’s copyright on verso Gelatin silver print

Image 13 1/2”x16 3/4”, Paper 16”x20”, Matted 20”x24” (KM22-28)

“I don’t believe in a photograph until I make a print

it.

~ Kurt Markus

Kurt has always possessed one of the strongest work ethics I have ever witnessed. He sure does his homework and research but is always open to what the “photo gods” gift him. He is so rooted in the power and beauty of the American Landscape as is evidenced here.

Kurt Markus 1947-2022

Monument Valley, Utah, 2002 (printed 2011)

Signed in pencil on recto; Signed, titled, dated in pencil and stamped with photographer’s copyright on verso Gelatin silver print Image 14 3/4”x18 3/4”, Paper 16”x20”, Matted 20”x24” (KM22-27)

“I think the really valuable experiences are the ones that come out of nowhere while you’re plodding along on a journey. But persistence is valuable too. I always worked hard, always showed up.Sweat is part of the equation”

The past that Don refers to here is his more than 50 years of covering practically every single war and human suffering story that humanity has inflicted on itself. It came with a price and in an attempt to erase those memories Don started to photograph landscapes mainly surrounding his home in the English countryside.These are not your typical picture post card views. They are raw and skeletal and there is very little sunshine around. But they are incredibly beautiful in a very primal and passionate way and show Don’s mastery of traditional analogue printing. They are in fact some of the most beautiful prints I have ever encountered.

Don McCullin

Winter in my Village, Somerset, 1991 Signed, Titled, & Dated on verso Gelatin Silver Print Image - 13 3/8” x 18”, Paper - 18 3/8” x 23 1/8”, Mat - 24” x 30” (DM22-03)

“My solace lies in recording what remains of the beautiful landscape of Somerset and its metallic dark skies, which gives this country an aged and sometimes remote feeling as if the past is struggling against the future. The stillness of silence and sometimes my loneliness broke my imagination, but like the surrounding land, I am fighting to release the past in me.”

~ Don McCullin

Don’s landscapes in recent years have comprised much of his photographic subject matter and output. But each one is unique unto itself in terms of mood and feeling. The skies are often grey and at times the clouds seem even threatening. But they are haunting with their changing conditions of light much in the same way as Constable painted.

Don McCullin

Glen Col, Scotland, 1991 Signed, Titled, & Dated Gelatin Silver Print Image 13 x 20”, Paper 19 x 24”, Mat 24 x 30” (DM21-5)

“I retreated to my Somerset home and walking out of my front door in all weather, through fields, between trees and over hills, watching, waiting, being still - that was my therapy. The photographs reflected that.”

~ Don McCullin

One of the great joys of collecting is that sometimes one discovers something so rare and special that you and no one else has ever seen. Such was my luck when I came across this extremely rare and possibly unique print by one of the great all time masters of photography Andre Kertész. He must have been on a trip or vacation in England and was encouraged to visit the extraordinary botanical gardens of Kew Gardens near London, truly one of the great wonders of the world - this collection of living and stored materials is used by scholars of nature from all over the world.

The photograph is a moment of quiet contemplation and reverence for nature. The subtlety of his use of light and shadow is just sublime. In the hands of an ordinary photographer it could be ordinary and flat, with a poet’s eye Kertész offers us a luminous vision of the power of nature to envelop and inspire.

If you have never visited this paradise on earth I urge you to. You will not be disappointed.”

Andre Kertész

Kew Gardens, London, 1948 Signed, titled and dated in pencil on verso Vintage gelatin silver print Image 9” x 7”, Paper 10” x 8”, Matted 20” x 16” (AK22-05)

“I am a lucky man. I can do something with almost anything I see. Everything is still interesting to me”

~ André Kertész

Martine was one the most intelligent, elegant and dignified people I have ever met. Her graciousness and kindness to me as I embarked on this career was profound. I owe her so much.She possessed a truly rare talent. Her quiet manner, almost an innate shyness covered a strong passion and determination to create beauty. She found architecture and humanity in the landscape as is evidenced here.

Martine Franck 1938-2012 Bergen, Norway, 1983 Signed in ink with the photographer’s blindstamp on recto Gelatin silver print 20 x 16 inches (6084)

“The reason I enjoy photography? The improvisation, the randomness and the unexpected.”

~ Martine Franck

our dear friend Martine said it all. Through her art and her words. And her life. Peace.

Martine Franck 1938-2012

Les Petite Dalles, Normandy, 1973

Gelatin silver print 27 x 39 inches; Signed in ink on recto; Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on verso Edition 2 of 10 (28807)

“I feel concerned by what happens in the world… …I don’t want to merely “document.” I want to know why a certain thing disturbs or attracts me and how a situation can affect the person involved.”

~ Martine Franck

John Edward Sache spent an immensely productive 20 year career primarily in Northern India and produced so many beautiful landscapes and architectural studies in Calcutta, Bombay, Lucknow, Delhi, Agra and Cashmere. This particular group of vintage albumen prints are especially rich in their tonal range and condition.

John Edward Sache Cashmere. Sind Valley; View of the Cataract of Haribal, 1870s Titled on verso.

Vintage albumen print Image 9 x11”, Paper 9x11” (JES21-02)

There was a time when we lived in equilibrium with nature, when we respected the earth and our fellow animals before we killed them in pursuit of our socalled “development” and “progress” and “economic prosperity.”This is what Sebastião’s epic body of work “Genesis” showed us. We have managed as a species to destroy over half of the world’s natural resources and these images are a subtle wake up call for us to save the remaining half before it is too late. Photos in themselves cannot save the world but they can, at the very least, foster the discussion.

Sebastião Salgado 1944

Eastern Part of the Brooks Range, Alaska, USA (Vertical), 2009 Signed, titled and dated in pencil on verso Gelatin silver print 35 x 24 inches (SS14-13)

“In “Genesis,” my camera allowed nature to speak to me. And it was my privilege to listen.”

Sebastião Salgado

This is one of the most powerful images from Sebastião’s epic “Genesis” series. It has enormous power stemming from the simple fact that it no longer exists, a simple retort to any proponents of the view that global warming is a myth and not one of mankind’s most crucial issues that we need to confront.

Sebastião Salgado 1944

Iceberg between the Paulet Island and the South Shetland Islands, Antartica, 2005 (Printed 2018) Signed, dated, and titled in pencil on verso Gelatin Silver Print Image - 14.5”x20” , Paper - 20”x24”, Matted - 24”x30” (SS18-41)

“In the end, the only heritage we have is our planet. I have decided to go to the most pristine places on the planet and photograph them in the most honest way I know with my point of view.”

~ Sebastião Salgado

~ Henry David Thoreau

Our friend Sebastião dedicated close to 10 years to document the pristine landscape that still exists in the world in his epic project “Genesis” showing us what the planet was like at the beginning of time. It is his love letter to the Earth and his warning to us of the importance of preserving it. This is one of the truly magnificent and joyful images from that project.There are more than 12 million Chinstraps (named for the thin black line under their chins) in the Antarctic region where also 90% of the planet’s ice is to be found. The Penguins come here to breed and can dive in Antarctic waters to depths of up to 230 feet. Of course we see that each penguin has its own distinct personality just as we humans do. Which one are you? The daredevil, gutsy one at the head of the line who knows no fear? Or the one turning back thinking maybe not quite yet. Let me think about this a bit more... ? Enjoy.

Sebastião Salgado 1944

Chinstrap Penguins, South Sandwich Islands, 2009 (Printed 2021) Signed, titled and dated in pencil on verso Gelatin Silver Print Image - 21”x29.5”, Paper - 24”x35”, Matted - 30”x40” (SS21-92)

“In Wildness is the preservation of the World.”

“Of all the animals I have seen, penguins are the closest to humans.”

~ Sebastião Salgado

“At first impression, the Sahara seems lifeless. With golden sand dunes stretching as far as the eye can see, it suggests a hostile landscape, unchanged since time immemorial. Yet this desert has had many lives. In fact, during my travels, it is one of the places where I felt closest to the distant past of wildlife and humanity”

~ Sebastião Salgado

Sebastião Salgado 1944

Sahara, South of Djanet, Algeria, 2009 Gelatin silver print 20 x 24 inches. Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso with the photographer’s embossed stamp on recto (29951) $13,000

Charles Scowen

Avenue of Cabbage Palms, Peradeniya Gardens, 1880 Inscribed in negative Vintage albumen print Image Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches Matted Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches (CS17-2627)

I think John Szarkowski had one of the greatest minds I have ever encountered. Beyond articulate and intelligent, his early writings, especially his classic book “Looking at Photographs,” nurtured my interest in photography. Revered as one of the greatest curators of photography ever he was also an incredible photographer and printmaker in his own right. I had the great honour of hosting the last public exhibition of his work. The week he was with us in California still fills me with such beautiful memories of great meals and conversations. Sadly, he passed away a few weeks after the exhibition opened. I owe him a lot.

John Szarkowski (United States, b. 1925-2007) Stockade, Grand Portage, 1957/Printed 2005 Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso Gelatin silver print 11 x 14 inches (6793)

“Photography is the easiest thing in the world if one is willing to accept pictures that are flaccid, limp, bland, banal, indiscriminately informative and pointless. But if one insists on a photograph that is both complex and vigorous, it is almost impossible.”

~ John Szarkowski

John Szarkowski (United States, b. 1925-2007)

Crooked Lake, 1961/Printed 2006

Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 inches (10165)

John Szarkowski (United States, b. 1925-2007) Yellow Russet, 1997 Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso Gelatin silver print 11 x 14 inches (9034)

One of my favorite all-time photography books is George’s “Fields of Peace”, his exquisite study of an amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to which he dedicated many years of his life to and it shows. Each image is a gem of understanding of a way of life lived with dignity and a sense of community almost unheard of anywhere else. It is one of the most beautiful bodies of work created by anybody in the history of this medium.

George Tice 1938

Landscape at Sunrise, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1965/ Printed 2008 Signed in pencil on recto; titled & dated in pencil on verso Platinum/palladium print 11 x 14 inches (12930)

“Photography teaches us to see and we can see whatever we wish. When I take a photograph, I make a wish. I was always looking for beauty.”

~ George Tice

Isaiah West Taber (American, b. 1830 - 1912)

Yosemite Falls from Glacier Point Trail, c. 1890

Label “Yosemite Falls from Glacier Point Trail. Taber Photo, San Francisco” on negative and printed on recto

Vintage albumen print

9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches (IT16-2)

Like so many photographers over the past century, Don Worth found his way into photography when he discovered the work of Ansel Adams. In the early 1950s, meeting Adams would only further solidify his lifelong career in photography. Worth became Ansel’s personal assistant in 1956 until 1960. The two maintained a close friendship until Adams death in 1984. Like many disciples of Adams, Don took to photographing the natural landscape. Growing up on a small farm in Iowa, Worth was cultivating exotic plants by the age of ten. His childhood experiences shaped his artistic sensibilities and early love for exotic horticulture. Later in life, Don’s house in Mill Valley, CA would become a flourishing half-acre botanical oasis. His personal gardens served as his private retreat and the focus of hundreds of his photographs. Don’s photographs have an incisive clarity and quiet, meditative mood. His photographs are a departure beyond the world of normal appearances and transport us into a reflective harmony with nature that only Worth could reveal with his camera.

Don Worth 1924-2009

Trees and Fog, San Francisco (Plate 14), 1962/Printed 2002 Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso; Signed in pencil with 3 embossed stamps on recto Gelatin silver print 11 x 14 inches (11762)

The techniques of photography are not very hard to master. The difficult thing is to become a sentient, cognitive human being. If anyone is going to be good at this thing, they must push themselves to levels of sensory awareness that are beyond the ken of ordinary mortals.”

~ Jack Welpott

Born in London, Peter Fetterman has been deeply involved in the medium of photography for over 40 years. Initially a filmmaker and collector, he set up his first gallery over 30 years ago in 1988. He was one of the pioneer tenants of Bergamot Station, the Santa Monica Center of the Arts when it first opened in 1994.

The gallery has one of the largest inventories of classic 20th Century photography in the country particularly in humanist photography.

Diverse holdings include work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Steve McCurry, Ansel Adams, Paul Caponigro, Willy Ronis, André Kertesz, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Lillian Bassman, Pentti Sammallahti, Sarah Moon and Jeffrey Conley.

Peter and his colleagues are committed to promoting the awareness and appreciation of the most powerful of the mediums in an intimate, user-friendly salon environment.

All images are © The Artist or their Estate, courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery, and may not be reproduced without express permission. All rights reserved.