Edward Weston

mounted, signed, dated, and editioned '11/50' in pencil and with a typed exhibition label on the mount, titled in pencil and with the photographer's 'Carmel-by-the-Sea, California' studio label, numbered '11T' in pencil, on the reverse, 1929, no. 11 in a projected edition of 50 (Conger 568)

San Francisco, M. H. De Young Memorial Museum, Exhibition of Winners in the California Trees Photographic Competition, October 1932

This photograph bears all the characteristics of an Edward Weston print from 1929. It is on photographic paper with a glossy surface, and affixed to a large tan mount. Weston has written his edition number on the mount directly below the left corner of the print, and his signature and date appear beneath the right corner of the print. In the late 1920s, Weston discovered that glossy paper allowed him to coax more detail and a greater tonal range out of his photographs. This photograph dates from the early years of his use of glossy photographic paper but nonetheless illustrates the total control he exerted over his materials. The photograph is in essentially excellent condition. When examined very closely in high raking light, a few faint scuffs and minor indentations can be seen, but these to not undermine the print's fine appearance in any way. There is some faint age-appropriate silvering in the dark areas, slightly more noticeable on the periphery. The mount is quite clean. The exhibition label on the front is discolored, likely due to the adhesive used to affix it to the mount. It reads: 95. Edward Weston Carmel, California Monterey Cypress The back of the mount is lightly soiled. Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., et al, Edward Weston: Photography and Modernism (Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1999), pl. 45 Jennifer Watts, et al, Edward Weston: A Legacy (Huntington Library, 2003), pl. 68 James L. Enyeart, Edward Weston's California Landscapes (Boston, 1984), pl. 114
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. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
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.

It is believed that this photograph was included in an exhibition associated with the California Trees Photographic Competition at the M. H. De Young Memorial Museum in 1932.  This competition was sponsored by the California Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of America, and 800 photographs were submitted as entrants.  Approximately 160 were selected for the exhibition, which also included work by Ansel Adams, Alma Lavenson, and other West Coast photographers.  Weston took first prize for an image of a Joshua tree, earning $100.  Lavenson and Adams also won cash prizes.   

The photograph offered here was originally purchased in a group of Weston prints, all mounted in the same manner and with the same typewritten exhibition labels, that included the Joshua tree print identified as the winning print in the competition.  Another of Weston's Monterey Cypress photographs, also mounted and labeled in the same way and exhibited in the De Young exhibition, was offered in these rooms on 27 April 2005 (Sale 8086, Lot 116).    

In addition to a print of this image in the Edward Weston Archive at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Conger locates only two other prints in the following institutions: a print made from the negative in the 1940s at the Huntington Library, San Marino; and a Project Print made by Brett Weston in the 1950s at Santa Cruz. An early print of this image is in The Lane Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 

Weston's Negative Log, in the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, records 12 prints of this image made from the projected edition of 50. The Log also indicates that 4 of these prints were later destroyed by Weston.