Ansel Adams

mounted to card, signed on the mount, signed and titled on the reverse, circa 1935

The photographer to David McAlpin

Collection of Mrs. David McAlpin

Acquired from the above, 1995

Carmel, Center for Photographic Art, Ansel Adams: From the Private Collection of Margaret Weston, 1995

San Francisco, The Friends of Photography, Ansel Adams: From the Private Collection of Maggi Weston, 1996

Monterey Museum of Art, Passion and Precision: Photographs from the Collection of Margaret W. Weston, 2003

Ansel Adams: From the Private Collection of Margaret Weston (this print)

This luminous, early print, on paper with a slight surface sheen, and mounted on buff-colored card, is in generally excellent condition. The upper left corner of the print is very slightly bumped. This is noticeable only under the closest examination. When examined closely in high raking light, an extremely faint linear indentation and what appear to be linear deposits of original retouching are visible in the lower left quadrant. On the reverse of the print at the lower right corner, '161-PP' has been written in an unidentified hand in pencil. There is extremely faint, barely noticeable soiling on the mount.
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 full catalogue information for this lot is as follows:

mounted to card, signed by the photographer in pencil on the mount, signed and titled by him in ink on the reverse, matted, circa 1935

The photograph offered here comes originally from the collection of investment banker David McAlpin, III (1897-1989), a crucial supporter of The Museum of Modern Art's Department of Photography in its fledgling years.  An amateur photographer himself, McAlpin underwrote not only Beaumont Newhall's landmark exhibition Photography 1839 - 1937, but also paid for the Department of Photography's initial operating expenses. 

Friend and patron, McAlpin often traveled with Ansel Adams on photographic expeditions.  For the catalogue accompanying the 1974 exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ansel Adams: Singular Images, he described their visit to Cape Cod in the spring of 1937:

'The weather was balmy, shadblow in bloom everywhere.  Adams found many subjects:  saltbox houses, several fine barns, an old windmill and gravestones in ancient cemeteries' (p. 57).

Exhibited:

Carmel, Center for Photographic Art, Ansel Adams: From the Private Collection of Margaret Weston, July - September 1995

San Francisco, The Friends of Photography, Ansel Adams: From the Private Collection of Maggi Weston, May - September 1996

Monterey Museum of Art, Passion and Precision: Photographs from the Collection of Margaret W. Weston, January - April 2003