Edward Weston 1886-1958

mounted, initialed and dated by the photographer in pencil on the mount, signed, titled, dated, and numbered '47SO'  by the photographer in pencil on the reverse, matted, 1936, probably printed in the 1940s

The photographer to Glen Fishback

By descent to the present owner

Other prints of this image:

Conger 945

Merle Armitage, Edward Weston: Fifty Photographs (New York, 1947), pl. 13

Nancy Newhall, Edward Weston: The Flame of Recognition (Aperture, 1967), pp. 46-47

Ben Maddow, Edward Weston: Fifty Years (Aperture, 1973), p. 168

Jennifer A. Watts, ed., Edward Weston: A Legacy (Los Angeles: The Huntington Library, 2003, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 127

James Enyeart, Edward Weston's California Landscapes (Boston, 1984), pl. 15

Kurt Markus, Dune: Edward & Brett Weston (Kalispell, 2003), p. 67

Amy Conger, Edward Weston: The Form of the Nude (London, 2005), p. 119

Judith Hochburg, Sarah Lowe, Michael Mattis, and Dody Weston Thompson, Edward Weston: Life Work (Revere, 2004), pl. 72

Manfred Heiting, ed., Edward Weston (Köln, 2004), p. 147

Therese Mulligan and David Wooters, eds., Photography from 1839 to Today: George Eastman House (Köln, 2000), p. 497

Keith F. Davis, An American Century of Photography, from Dry-Plate to Digital:  The Hallmark Photographic Collection (Kansas City, 1999), p. 208

Picturing Modernity: Highlights from the Photography Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1998, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 22

Maria Morris Hambourg and Christopher Phillips, The New Vision: Photography Between the World Wars, Ford Motor Company Collection (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 117

This luminous print is on paper with a slightly glossy surface. It is in excellent condition. When examined closely, in high raking light, there are some very faint surface scratches in the upper left quadrant and at the right side. In addition, visible only in raking light, is a tiny round raised area that likely occurred during mounting, in the lower left quadrant. None of these is immediately apparent, and are impossible to see from a normal viewing distance. As is typical of prints that Weston made in the 1940s, the mount is thin, cream-colored board with a smooth - but not slick - surface on the front and back, and it is initialed and dated, rather than fully signed and dated. There is a very minor spot of soiling at the upper edge of the mount, at the right. On the reverse of the mount, there is very minor light soiling, mainly at the periphery, and three minor abraded areas in the upper and lower left quadrants, and in the lower center portion. These are not readily apparent.
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, and those in Lots 185 and 186, come originally from the collection of Glen Fishback, photographer, writer, and photography school founder, who first met Edward Weston in 1938 and later published an article describing their friendship.  His reminiscences, 'Edward Weston, A Legend in His Own Lifetime,' appeared in Petersen's Photographic in February 1973.

In 1937, Fishback and wife Altha wed, and he began his professional career as a staff photographer for the Sacramento Bee.  The following year the couple returned to Carmel, where they had honeymooned, to celebrate their first anniversary. Fishback was in awe of Weston's work and reputation, and phoned him to request a visit.  Weston welcomed them to Wildcat Hill, and the couple spent a delightful evening discussing photography and looking through several hundred of his photographs.  Fishback wrote that while they 'were destitute of funds at the time,' they happily purchased 'Juniper, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite' (Lot 186) for $20.

The next morning, Weston invited the couple to join him in a picture-taking session at Point Lobos, and Fishback was impressed not only by Weston's agility while carrying heavy equipment over the rocks and steep paths, but also by his meticulous, thoughtful approach to photography, and his generosity of knowledge and spirit.  The following year, the Fishbacks returned and enjoyed another field trip with Weston.  During this visit, Fishback made a number of exposures of Weston at work.  After receiving one of the portraits in the mail, Weston wrote the Fishbacks a postcard: 'My portrait arrived.  I'm very happy to have it and think I got the best of the exchange - Your print goes forward soon.  All packed.  Our thanks for your kind letter. Yrs - Edward Weston.'  The descendants of Glen Fishback have preserved copies of Weston's correspondence over the years.

The two men remained friends and exchanged letters, visits, and photographs until Weston's death in 1958.  When the Fishbacks' son was born, he was christened Kurt Edward--his middle name in honor of, and with affection for--Edward Weston.

Glen Fishback's papers and photographs are held in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C.