Adams, Ansel

Sentinel Rock and Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point Trail, Yosemite [1923] Printed by Alan Ross from Ansel Adams' original negative under his supervision

Yosemite National Park, California: the Ansel Adams Gallery, circa 1970s. Silver gelatin print, printed later, stamped 'Special Edition / Photographs of Yosemite by Ansel Adams / Sentinel Rock and Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point Trail, Yosemite [National Park, California', 'Printed by Alan Ross from Ansel Adams' original negative' verso with pencil initial , 7-1/2 x 91/8 inches on board 16.5 x 13.5 inches.

"Ansel’s intent was to present photography as an affordable art and to showcase the environmental grandeur of Yosemite National Park. Never much a fan of the “curios” that were the staple of most Park concessioners at the time, he also wanted to offer visitors a quality memento of their time in Yosemite.

The 8×10 prints would be made from the original negatives by an assistant under Ansel’s precise direction and be printed in sufficiently large batches to make them affordable.

This collection, entitled the Yosemite Special Edition Photographs, proved immensely popular, and over the years, Ansel added more images to the set until the total was capped at 30 at the time of his passing in 1984.

Today, Best’s Studio is known as the Ansel Adams Gallery, and continues as a family-run business. Ansel’s Special Edition Photographs of Yosemite are a mainstay of the Gallery’s offerings and heritage. Each print is still made by hand directly from Ansel’s original negatives, using his approach and methodology to ensure strict adherence to his standards and aesthetic."

Provenance: Peter Howard, Serendipity Books, Berkeley. Item #51-1667

Price: $2,000.00