Edward Weston

mounted, signed and dated by the photographer in pencil on the mount, titled by him and annotated 'Charis' in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse, matted, 1936

The photographer to his sister, Mary Weston Seaman

By descent to her daughter, Jeannette Seaman

By descent to her nephew, John W. Longstreth

The Dayton Art Institute, Edward Weston's Gifts to His Sister, January - March 1978, and traveling to:

New York, International Center of Photography, July - September 1978; and

The Oakland Museum, February - March 1979

The Dayton Art Institute, Edward Weston: A Photographer's Love of Life, February - July 2004, and traveling to:

Oregon, Portland Art Museum, September - November 2004

Omaha, Joslyn Art Museum, January - April 2005; and

Rochester, George Eastman House, April - September 2005

This print:

Kathy Kelsey Foley, Edward Weston's Gifts to His Sister (The Dayton Art Institute, 1978, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 47

Alexander Lee Nyerges, Edward Weston: A Photographer's Love of Life (The Dayton Art Institute, 2004, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 33

Other prints of this image:

Conger 927

Beaumont Newhall, Supreme Instants: The Photographs of Edward Weston (Tucson: Center for Creative Photography, 1986, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 43

Nancy Newhall, ed., Edward Weston: The Flame of Recognition (Aperture, 1967), p. 48

Manfred Heiting, ed., Edward Weston (Köln, 2004), p. 159

Judith Hochberg, Sarah Lowe, Michael Mattis, and Dody Weston Thompson, Edward Weston: Life Work (Revere, 2004), cover and pl. 63

Amy Conger, Edward Weston: The Form of the Nude (London, 2005), p. 94

Kurt Markus, Dune: Edward & Brett Weston (Kalispell, Montana, 2003), p. 55

We believe that characteristics of this print--the paper with its slight surface sheen; the mount that has a slick white surface on the front and the back; the full signature and dating on the mount and title by the photographer in pencil on the reverse--are representative of what we believe to be the prime state of this image from 1936. This early print, on paper with a surface sheen and slightly warm tonality, is in good condition. The edges are somewhat rubbed, with tiny emulsion loss at the lower and left edges. There is extremely faint discoloration that is barely visible at the periphery of the print. When examined closely in raking light, the following are visible: slight age-appropriate silvering in the dark areas; a few soft linear impressions; and extremely faint, thin hairline surface scratches in the central portion of the image. None of these are immediately apparent, and they are not visible at a normal viewing distance. The mount is thick white board with a slick surface on both the front and back. It has been trimmed to within one inch of the photograph. The edges and corners are lightly worn, and the corners are bumped. The lower left corner is creased. The front of the mount exhibits light soiling. The reverse is partially abraded and lightly soiled.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This study of Charis Wilson on the dunes of Oceano was the only photograph of a nude sent by Edward to his sister May.  One of the most famous nudes from this series, the photograph shows Charis discreetly from behind, and does not reveal parts of her anatomy that are evident in other prints from the series. 

Charis Wilson met Mary Weston Seaman on many occasions, and admired the strong woman she was, and what she meant to her brother Edward.  Charis wrote of her first impressions of May, 'I saw at once  . . . she had that same inner fire and vitality that her brother possessed, the same glowing brown eyes that must have been their mother's legacy' (Through Another Lens, p. 73). 

This nude study was included by Weston in his exhibition at the Morgan Camera Shop in Los Angeles in 1939; his important retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art in 1946; and the World of Edward Weston show organized by the Smithsonian Institution in 1957.

In addition to the print of this image in the Edward Weston Archive at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Conger locates prints in the following institutions: the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Harrison Memorial Library in Carmel, and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.  There is also a Project Print at Santa Cruz.