Edward Weston

mounted, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, inscribed 'For Bea & Don – this picture of Willie by Eddie – with many happy memories, and love from Charis & Edward' in pencil on the reverse, 1941 (Conger 1603)

The photographer to Donald and Beatrice Prendergast, 1940s

Frank H. Boos Gallery, 1 February 2001, Lot 803

In addition to the print of this image at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Conger locates prints in the following institutional collections: Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; Art Institute of Chicago; George Eastman House, Rochester; Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City; Huntington Library, San Marino; Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Oklahoma (City) Art Museum; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and a project print at Santa Cruz. This image was included in Weston's "Fiftieth Anniversary Portfolio," and it is possible that several of the prints listed above are, in fact, portfolio prints made by Weston's son Brett. The print offered here is differentiated from the portfolio prints not only by its warm personal inscription, but by the fact that it is signed (as opposed to only initialed) and dated in full on the front of the mount. This photograph is on semi-glossy paper and is in essentially excellent condition. When the print is examined closely in raking light, two tiny raised areas indicate the presence of particles trapped between board and photograph during the mounting process. These are unobtrusive. Very faint silvering, appropriate for a print of this age, can be seen in the dark areas when it is examined closely. The mount shows some very minor soiling on the front and back. This image is reproduced in the following books: Edward Weston's Gifts to Sister, p. 55 Flame of Recognition, p. 73 Edward Weston: A Legacy, pl. 127
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.

The warm inscription on the reverse of the photograph in Lot 123 indicates that it was a gift from Edward Weston to Donald and Beatrice Prendergast.  Weston and his wife, Charis, first met the Prendergasts in the New Orleans home of photographer Clarence John Laughlin in August of 1941.  The Westons were already well into their cross-country trip, funded by the Limited Editions Club, to produce images for a photographically-illustrated edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.  The Prendergasts offered to act as guides for Weston's photographic work in the area, an offer which resulted in Weston's most memorable pictures made in Louisiana, and in a warm and lasting friendship between the two couples.   The Prendergasts directed Weston past New Orleans's standard photographic fodder to sites little known by outsiders, including Girod Cemetery and St. Roch Cemetery, where Lot 123 was taken.  During outings spread across several days, the Prendergasts supplied Weston with invaluable help. 

Bea Prendergast wrote a remembrance of her and her husband's forays with Edward Weston in the October 1986 issue of Photo Metro.  In it, she documented Weston's approach to photographing in St. Roch:

'To focus on a high wall vault, he stood on top of his heavy camera case.  His hat was placed on the extended bellows, and the wide white focusing cloth covered his head and shoulders.  He merged with his camera to look at two vault drawers.  The top one, inscribed "Willie," was still remembered with a vase of springing ferns.  Below Willie's ferns, the natural stone patterns of the lower vault met the ferns' curve with answering arabesques' (cf. Conger 1603). 

Edward and Charis Weston's friendship with the Prendergasts lasted beyond their stay in New Orleans, and they corresponded regularly.  In 1942, the Prendergasts spent a summer in a cottage close to the Westons' home in Carmel, and the couples became daily companions.  According to Charis, it was Bea who pointed out to Weston the dead pelican on the beach at Point Lobos that became the subject of one of his best-known images (Conger 1696) from this phase in his career (Through Another Lens, p. 317).

It is believed that Lots 123 through 130, purchased from the same source and sharing many similarities in presentation, were all gifts from Weston to the Prendergasts.