Edward Weston

mounted, initialed and dated in pencil on the mount, signed, titled, dated, and numbered 'DV-Z-14G' in pencil on the reverse, 1938 (Conger 988)

Acquired by photographer and environmentalist Philip Hyde from the photographer, circa 1953; acquired by the present owner from Hyde, 1997

This print, on paper with a surface sheen and mounted to cream-colored board, is in generally very good condition. In high raking light, the following are visible under very close examination: 2 pin-point-sized impressions that do not break the emulsion in the upper left quadrant; 2 linear horizontal creases (measuring ½- and one-inch) that appear to break the emulsion in the central portion of the image; a 3-inch horizontal surface scuff in the lower right quadrant of the image. None of these minor issues are at all immediately apparent, nor do they detract from the overall impressive print quality. There are a few light fingerprints from handling at the periphery of the mount and on the reverse. Although Weston has dated this print '1938,' Conger list this image as being made in 1937.
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.

As a student at the California School of Fine Arts, San Francisco, Philip Hyde (1921-2006) studied photography, initially with Ansel Adams (in 1946) and later with Minor White (from 1947 to 1950).  Class field trips to visit Edward Weston in Carmel, where the students camped on Weston's lawn, photographed at Point Lobos, and studied photographs by Weston in his home at Wildcat Hill, were extremely important to Hyde, whose lifelong passion for photography and nature mirrored Weston's own. 

Hyde was a photographer and environmentalist who collaborated with the Sierra Club and other organizations to preserve and protect wilderness.  His photographs and publications helped shape public opinion and federal laws to protect, among other places, the Grand Canyon, Dinosaur National Monument, Point Reyes Seashore, the High Sierra, Big Sur, the Cascades of Oregon, the California redwoods, and Utah's Canyonlands and Waterpocket Fold.

Another print of this image is reproduced in:

Robert Cahn and Glenn Ketchum, American Photographs and The National Parks, A Catalogue of the Exhibition (National Park Foundation, 1981, in conjunction with the exhibition), unpaginated

An exceedingly close variant of this print is reproduced in:

Kathy Kelsey Foley, Edward Weston's Gifts to His Sister (The Dayton Art Institute, 1978, in conjunction with the exhibition), p. 49

Alexander Lee Nyerges, Edward Weston: A Photographer's Love of Life (The Dayton Art Institute, 2004, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 36