Edward Weston 1886-1958

mounted, signed and dated by the photographer in pencil on the reverse, matted, 1942

The photographer to Frederick Sommer

Acquired by Steve Aldrich from the above

To Andrew Roth at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, East Hampton, New York

Acquired by Nancy Richardson from the above, 1998

Other prints of this image:

Conger 1697

Jennifer A. Watts, ed., Edward Weston, A Legacy (Los Angeles, 2003), pl. 78

This print is in generally excellent condition. The mount has been trimmed at the top and bottom.
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 photograph was originally given by Weston to his friend, the photographer and artist Frederick Sommer.  From the time of their first meeting, Weston and Sommer exchanged work.  In 1936, Sommer traded a number of his drawings for Weston's photographs.  Weston visited Sommer in Arizona several times between 1938 and 1944, and it is assumed that he gave this photograph to Sommer during that time.

In his own photographic work, Sommer preferred a very simple style of presentation in which a print was mounted to board and then signed on the reverse.  For prints from this period, Weston typically signed, dated, and sometimes initialed and numbered his prints on the front of the mount below the image.  For the photograph offered here, it is believed that Sommer requested that Weston adopt his (Sommer's) presentation style, leaving the front of the mount blank, so that there would be nothing to distract from the image.

In Edward Weston: Photographs from the Collection of the Center for Creative Photography, Amy Conger locates six other prints of this image in institutional collections.  Another print of this image was shown in Edward Weston, the photographer's first major retrospective exhibition, at The Museum of Modern Art in 1946.