Photography

The millions of photographs in the Museum's collections compose a vast mosaic of the nation's history. Photographs accompany most artifact collections. Thousands of images document engineering projects, for example, and more record the steel, petroleum, and railroad industries.

Some 150,000 images capture the history, art, and science of photography. Nineteenth-century photography, from its initial development by W. H. F. Talbot and Louis Daguerre, is especially well represented and includes cased images, paper photographs, and apparatus. Glass stereographs and news-service negatives by the Underwood & Underwood firm document life in America between the 1890s and the 1930s. The history of amateur photography and photojournalism are preserved here, along with the work of 20th-century masters such as Richard Avedon and Edward Weston. Thousands of cameras and other equipment represent the technical and business side of the field.

Silver gelatin, mounted. View of sun-lit, snow capped mountains with smaller shadowy mountains in front. Small hills and grass cover ground with two horses in foreground. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of sun-lit, snow capped mountains with smaller shadowy mountains in front. Small hills and grass cover ground with two horses in foreground. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink. "RSN 82532R32" handwritten, pencil.
Description
The "natural chiaroscuro" of this scene in the Sierra Nevadas, foothills shaded in clouds and background mountains brightly lit, had Adams lingering outdoors in zero-degree weather waiting for the perfect composition to reveal itself. According to his book "Examples," Adams had the history and ecology of this region in mind when he took "Winter Sunrise." The endangered Mono Lake, which appears in the foreground, had once nurtured a lush and thriving valley, but by 1944, "practically all the water of the area flows to the homes and swimming pools of the City of Angels, and an American tragedy is here for all who care to see," according to Adams ("Examples," p.163). The photographer was equally upset by the letters "LP" which local Lone Pine High School students had painted on the left hill. Adams meticulously spotted out the graffiti in the darkroom before making his first prints, but the letters are still just visible in this print of the negative.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
1944
print made
ca 1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.09
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.9
Silver gelatin, mounted. Vertical view of boards with chipped white wash on them. Looks similar to a woven rug of light and dark fabrics. Substantial white wash missing in middle section. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Vertical view of boards with chipped white wash on them. Looks similar to a woven rug of light and dark fabrics. Substantial white wash missing in middle section. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
1962
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.25
catalog number
69.117.25
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of tall rocks in water with water crashing in foamy wall on left side. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink, top center.Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of tall rocks in water with water crashing in foamy wall on left side. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink, top center.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
ca 1960
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.14
catalog number
69.117.14
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. Close-up, focus on light colored branch lying on rocks. Background hazy, unfocused view of lake. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title, top center.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Close-up, focus on light colored branch lying on rocks. Background hazy, unfocused view of lake. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title, top center. "RSN 82532R29" handwritten, pencil, bottom right center.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
print made
ca 1968
negative made
ca 1936
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.04
catalog number
69.117.4
accession number
282326
Silver gelatin, mounted. Vertical view of Aspen tree trunks. One well lit, center focus, numerous others behind and spread out. Grass and folliage in background and ground. Signed, ink (Recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Vertical view of Aspen tree trunks. One well lit, center focus, numerous others behind and spread out. Grass and folliage in background and ground. Signed, ink (Recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title.
Description
One of two photographs made within an hour of each other in Autumn 1958 in New Mexico, this image of a stand of aspens focuses on the long and slightly crooked trunks of the trees. Adams draws the viewer’s attention to their brilliant white bark. In contrast to the dark forest behind, they appear icy, or in the photographer’s words, “cool and aloof and rather stately” (“Examples,” p. 62). The light was diffused and reflected from distant clouds, and yet Adams developed the film for the highlights, increasing the contrast so that the trees would stand in stark contrast.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
date made
ca 1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.07
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.7
Gelatin Silver Print by Ansel Adams of Canyon de Chelly National Monument located in Arizona.Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers.
Description (Brief)
Gelatin Silver Print by Ansel Adams of Canyon de Chelly National Monument located in Arizona.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
1946
print made
1968
photographer
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.22
catalog number
69.117.22
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. Detail of wallpaper with stain on it. Looks similar to watermarks on litmus paper or on wood. Stains on left and right side of the photograph, with largest stain on the right. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Detail of wallpaper with stain on it. Looks similar to watermarks on litmus paper or on wood. Stains on left and right side of the photograph, with largest stain on the right. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title with scratched out mistaken location.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
ca 1961
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.24
catalog number
69.117.24
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. Close up of pine cone surrounded by eucalyptus leaves. Detailed. Can see indentations and marks on pine cone and leaves. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Close up of pine cone surrounded by eucalyptus leaves. Detailed. Can see indentations and marks on pine cone and leaves. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
1934
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.19
catalog number
69.117.19
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. Tall oak tree and several trees behind covered in snow and snow on ground. Each branch outlined by snow. Signed, ink (recto: bottom center). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink center.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Tall oak tree and several trees behind covered in snow and snow on ground. Each branch outlined by snow. Signed, ink (recto: bottom center). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink center. "RSN 82532R27" handwritten, pencil, bottom.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
Location
Currently not on view
negative made
1940
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.15
catalog number
69.117.15
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. Woman with visible wrinkles, solemn expression, hair pulled back, standing to the right of a white column with chipped paint. Wearing a plaid shirt with large round button on right lapel. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Woman with visible wrinkles, solemn expression, hair pulled back, standing to the right of a white column with chipped paint. Wearing a plaid shirt with large round button on right lapel. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title, bottom center.
Description
While visiting friends in southern Utah, Adams took this unusual portrait of an elderly woman sweeping her porch in the small town of Orderville. In his book “Examples,” Adams compares his subject, Martha Porter, to a “found object,” one that is captured exactly how it is found by the photographer (p.71). Porter remarked that she didn’t know why Adams would want to take her portrait. He wrote that he felt “a strong human and aesthetic motivation” for photographing the woman, part respect for her dignity and part delight in the variety of tones and textures the scene presented (p.72). This portrait, with its directly-lit highlights and shadowy background, is a statement of Adams’ preference for naturally-lit portraiture.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
ca 1958
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.13
accession number
282104
catalog number
69.117.13
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of mountains and sky. Sky is cloudy and there is low fog around the mountains. Tall peak, right, lower peaks in the distance. Bushes and trees in foreground. Signed ink, (recto: bottom right corner).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of mountains and sky. Sky is cloudy and there is low fog around the mountains. Tall peak, right, lower peaks in the distance. Bushes and trees in foreground. Signed ink, (recto: bottom right corner). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title, ink, top center. "RSN 82532R32" handwritten, pencil, bottom right.
Description
Adams took many photographs over the years at this spot, New Inspiration Point, in Yosemite National Park. Though he loved the sweeping vista afforded by the point, precarious cliffs, thick lines of trees and rock formations dictated the camera’s exact position. On this early December day, a clearing storm resulted in a dynamic and powerful image. “Weather, however spectacular to the eye, may present difficult conditions and compositions,” Adams wrote, and it is especially true in his case, as it took several minutes to set up his 8x10 camera assembly in 1940 (“Examples,” p.103). This photograph is one of many by Adams that has been called an environmental statement, but the photographer wrote that, as with all his work, his emotional and aesthetic response took preeminence over any deliberate assertion of “meaning” (“Examples,” p.106).
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
print made
ca 1968
negative made
ca 1941
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.02
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.2
Silver gelatin, mounted. Aerial view of approximately four different types of leaves. (Fern leaves, poison ivy are the two identified).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Aerial view of approximately four different types of leaves. (Fern leaves, poison ivy are the two identified). Signed, ink (recto: bottom right) Verso: Adams stamp, title handritten, ink, top center.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
1933
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.12
catalog number
69.117.12
accession number
282326
Silver gelatin, mounted. Tall shoots of grass in foreground, bark on tree stump in background. Shoots of grass sparse, bark on tree looks like snake skin. Shadow across tree from top left center to bottom of stump. Signed, ink, bottom right corner (recto).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Tall shoots of grass in foreground, bark on tree stump in background. Shoots of grass sparse, bark on tree looks like snake skin. Shadow across tree from top left center to bottom of stump. Signed, ink, bottom right corner (recto). Verso: Adams, stamp, handrwritten title, top center.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
print made
ca 1968
negative made
ca 1936
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.03
catalog number
69.117.3
accession number
282326
Silver gelatin, mounted. Monolith with smaller snow covered rock formations around it. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp with handwritten title, ink top center.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Monolith with smaller snow covered rock formations around it. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp with handwritten title, ink top center. Second stamp "Portfolio Three (Yosemite Valley) Ansel Adams Special Print Published by The Sierra Club San Francisco 1959 Reproduction Rights Preserved" Stamp.
Description
“I saw the photograph as a brooding form, with deep shadows and a distant sharp white peak against a dark sky,” Adams wrote of the scene before him on April 17, 1927, when, on a hike with his future wife Virginia, he took this iconic image (“Examples,” p.3). It was early in the photographer’s career, and because of the expense and bulk of his photographic plates, he only took a few with him for the hike in Yosemite. Still, what he lacked in material, Adams made up for in technique. He later recalled that “this photograph represents my first conscious visualization; in my mind’s eye I saw (with reasonable completeness) the final image as made,” and counted the actualization of this image in a successful print one of the most exciting moments of his career (“Examples,” p.5).
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
Location
Currently not on view
negative made
1923
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.17
accession number
282104
catalog number
69.117.17
Silver gelatin, mounted. Three-quarter head shot, woman with dark hair pulled back. Looking to the left. Woman not smiling. Can see pores and fine hairs on her face. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Three-quarter head shot, woman with dark hair pulled back. Looking to the left. Woman not smiling. Can see pores and fine hairs on her face. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten.
Description
This photograph is unusual for two aspects not usually found in Adams’ most popular works – a human subject and artificial light. Carolyn Anspacher was an actress and journalist, as well as a lifelong friend of Ansel and Virginia Adams; Ansel’s inspiration for this portrait was not the idea of taking a candid snapshot of a friend, however. Adams wrote that the rigid, classical portrait was called “The Great Stone Face” by some, but that he “had a strong conviction that the most effective photographic portrait is one that reveals the basic character of the subject in a state of repose, when the configurations of the face suggest identity and personality” (“Examples,” p.37). The photographer’s satisfaction with this portrait led him to take several similar portraits throughout the 30s.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
ca 1932
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.20
accession number
282104
catalog number
69.117.20
Silver gelatin, mounted. Wooden, (possibly ceramic) Native American man in traditional dress, cigar in mouth, NRA sign affixed on left arm with framed notice below waist, standing in front of store.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Wooden, (possibly ceramic) Native American man in traditional dress, cigar in mouth, NRA sign affixed on left arm with framed notice below waist, standing in front of store. Rack of magazines (Judge, Life, Time, New Yorker, News-Week, The Literary Digest and College Humor) on left side of photograph. Telephone sign (Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. and American Telephone and Telegraph Co.) in upper left corner. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, title handwritten, ink top center.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
1933
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.16
catalog number
69.117.16
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. Aerial view of rocky shoreline with waves washing up. Wave is on top part of the photograph. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, top center. Title with "wave" crosses out and "surf" inserted, handwritten, ink.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Aerial view of rocky shoreline with waves washing up. Wave is on top part of the photograph. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, top center. Title with "wave" crosses out and "surf" inserted, handwritten, ink. "14x13" handwritten, pencil left side edge.
Description
On a drive from his home in San Francisco to the town of Carmel in 1940, Adams made frequent stops to walk out and look at the surf hitting the coast of San Mateo County. He took note of this particular strip of beach because of the unique and changing textures presented by the surf, sand and rocks in combination. Adams realized that the scene might be best captured in a series of images, and later wrote in his book "Examples" (p.27) that he recalled the advice of photographer Minor White, “A sequence of several images can be thought of as a single statement.” Adams also wrote that the images capture a fleeting moment in the natural world, and, while parts of a set, should not necessarily be arranged chronologically (p.23). This, the fifth image in the Surf Series, therefore showcases Adams' photographic standards, and stands out on its own as an individual, and highly successful, photograph.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
ca 1936
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.11
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.11
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
Date made
1923-1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
COLL.PHOTOS.000006
accession number
282326; 282104
catalog number
69.117.1-.25
Silver gelatin, mounted. Eye level view of ice on water, foreground. Tall rock formation, background. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right corner).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Eye level view of ice on water, foreground. Tall rock formation, background. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right corner). Verso: Adams stamp, handrwitten title, center.
Description
While on an annual Sierra Club outing to Sequoia National Park, Adams took this image of the frozen Precipice Lake high in the Sierra Nevada range. The contrasting textures, sharp focus and full tonal range are indicative of Adams’ period of transition towards the f/64 Group’s photographic philosophy. In his book, “Examples,” Adams explained that some critics have called the work almost abstract, due to its strictly geometric composition, but that he disagreed. “I cannot change the optical realities, but only manage them in relation to themselves and the format,” he wrote ("Examples," p.11). Perhaps this photograph challenges the viewer to think about the shapes found in nature and the primary framing of a photograph.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
print made
ca 1968
negative made
1934
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.05
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.5
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of moon, few clouds in sky, New Mexican town in foreground. Pueblo church, left. Cemetery, right. Bushes all around. Mountains in background and low clouds. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right corner).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of moon, few clouds in sky, New Mexican town in foreground. Pueblo church, left. Cemetery, right. Bushes all around. Mountains in background and low clouds. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right corner). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title, top center.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
date made
ca 1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.06
catalog number
69.117.6
accession number
282326
Silver gelatin, mounted. Valley of boulders leading back to sunlit twin mountain peaks. One boulder in center foreground as focus. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp. Title handwritten.
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Valley of boulders leading back to sunlit twin mountain peaks. One boulder in center foreground as focus. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp. Title handwritten. "RSN 82532R25" handwritten pencil.
Description
This photograph, which appeared in Edward Steichen’s 1955 Family of Man Exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, was taken while Adams was driving to the Manzanar Relocation Camp for Japanese-Americans in 1944. In “Examples,” Adams writes “the enormous backdrop of the Sierra Nevada to the east gave the nature-loving Japanese-Americans a certain respite from their mood of isolation and concern for the future” ("Examples," p.65). To give the mountains their due grandeur and proportion, Adams used the boulders and storm clouds to provide perspective. Placing his camera on a platform atop his station wagon, Adams tilted the camera down to keep the boulders and the peaks in focus, and drove back and forth to arrange the composition. The beauty and timelessness of this photograph starkly contrasts with his images of the internment camp itself.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
1944
print made
ca 1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.10
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.10
Silver gelatin, mounted. Upward looking view of an old hearse. Flower patterned cushion in driver seat, paint chipped on body of carriage, glass cracked on encolsure. Can see where wood has warped and the ornamentation has been taken off. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. Upward looking view of an old hearse. Flower patterned cushion in driver seat, paint chipped on body of carriage, glass cracked on encolsure. Can see where wood has warped and the ornamentation has been taken off. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title.
Description
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
negative made
ca 1936
print made
1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.23
catalog number
69.117.23
accession number
282104
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of water fall from river below. Mist from waterfall makes middle ground hazy. Foreground of river with rocks and trees on both sides. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right corner).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of water fall from river below. Mist from waterfall makes middle ground hazy. Foreground of river with rocks and trees on both sides. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right corner). Verso: Ansel Adams stamp which reads "Photograph by Ansel Adams Route 1, Box 181, Carmel, California, 93921" in black ink. Stamp with "Title, Credit, Date, Film" with "Nevada Fall, Yosemite National Park" handwritten, black ink. "RSN 82532R26" handwritten, pencil, bottom right center.
Description
This photograph, taken at Nevada Fall in Yosemite, showcases Adams’ mastery of precise composition. In his book “Examples,” the photographer detailed his long trek to the site of the falls, his patient wait for the right moment to capture the luminous rainbow in the foreground and the myriad of slight changes to the camera’s position in order to achieve the exact fulfillment of his visualization for the image ("Examples," p.121). This “protracted ballet” of nudging, tilting, raising and lowering was for Adams the art of organizing reality to create an aesthetically pleasing composition, and he was happy with the final result. “I think it is a choice bit of Chaos organized into some kind of expressive Order,” he wrote of “Nevada Fall” ("Examples," p.123).
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
Location
Currently not on view
print made
ca 1968
negative made
ca 1946
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.01
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.1
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of several tall, thin tree trunks. One thin tree with flowers on left, smaller one, less full on right. Bushes at bottom of photo. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right).
Description (Brief)
Silver gelatin, mounted. View of several tall, thin tree trunks. One thin tree with flowers on left, smaller one, less full on right. Bushes at bottom of photo. Signed, ink (recto: bottom right). Verso: Adams stamp, handwritten title, ink.
Description
One of two photographs made within an hour of each other in Autumn 1958 in New Mexico, this image of a stand of aspens gives a hint of the yellow leaves on the trees even on a black and white print. Adams was aware of the spatial confusion and low contrast that such forest scenes can present because bits of the bright sky next to patches of dark foliage can hinder composition. He achieved tonal clarity and impact with a long focal length and exposure, and developing for the highlights, as well as printing on high contrast paper.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is one of the most well-known twentieth century photographers. His contributions to the field of photography include his innovation and teaching of the Zone System. The quality of his photographs set the standard by which many straight photographs are judged.
The collection in the Photographic History Collection consists of twenty-five photographs, all printed in or about 1968. All are gelatin silver, mounted, labeled and signed in ink by the photographer. The photographs include some of his most well-known images, but also portraits and objects. The selection of images was made in collaboration between the collecting curator and Adams.
date made
ca 1968
maker
Adams, Ansel
ID Number
PG.69.117.08
accession number
282326
catalog number
69.117.8

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