Edward Weston

on a modern mount, a fragment of the original mount, initialed and editioned '6/50' in pencil, affixed to the modern mount, 1929, no. 6 in a projected edition of 50

Gift of the photographer to Ella Winter, wife of Lincoln Steffens, early 1930s

By descent to the present owner

Conger 564

Edward Weston, 'Photography Not Pictorial,' Camera Craft, July 1930, p. 315

Merle Armitage, ed., Fifty Photographs: Edward Weston (New York, 1947), pl. 27

Keith F. Davis, Edward Weston: One Hundred Photographs from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Hallmark Photographic Collection (Kansas City, 1982), p. 15

Jennifer A. Watts, Edward Weston: A Legacy (The Huntington Library, 2003), p. 108

This photograph, on paper with a semi-glossy surface, is somewhat warm-toned, particularly at the print's periphery. The following are visible in raking light: uneven silvering in the dark areas; several long, fine surface scratches that do not appear to break the emulsion; a few small deposits of retouching, likely original; and a few tiny raised areas, likely particles trapped between the print and board during mounting. The print is lifting slightly from the mount along its right edge. This photograph is on a modern mount. A small remnant of the original mount - with 'EW 6/50' in pencil - is affixed below the photograph. On the reverse of the mount, 'PF114894' is written in an unidentified hand in pencil. This print is number '6' in a projected edition of 50. Weston's negative log in the Center for Creative Photography, Tuscon, records prints numbered 5 through 12, with print 9 described later in the log as 'destroyed.' In addition to the Project Print at the Center for Creative Photography, Conger locates only 4 prints in institutions: The Huntington Library, San Marino; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the University of California, Santa Cruz, this last a Project Print.
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.