THE PORTFOLIOS

OF ANSEL ADAMS
Introduction by John S^rkowski

^^^igUH^^"

New

Design

Laser-Scanned Separations

New

Printing

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in

2012

http://archive.org/details/portfoliosofanseOOadann

THE PORTFOLIOS
OF ANSEL ADAMS

THE PORTFOLIOS
OF ANSEL ADAMS
Introduction by John S^rkowski

NEW YORK GRAPHIC SOCIETY BOOK

LITTLE,

BROWN AND COMPANY

BOSTON

Copyright 1977, 19*^1 by the Trustees of the Ansel Adams

Pubhshing Rights Trust
hitroduction copyright 1977 by Little, Brown and Company

No part of this book may be reproduced in

any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including
information storage and retrieval systems without permission m
writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
All rights reserved.

brief passages in a review.

International Standard
International Standard

Book Number:
Book Number:

Library of Congress Catalog Card

Number: 77-71628

made

Grateful acknowledgment

is

sion to include Portfolio

III;

to

0-8212-1122-6 (paperback)

0-8212-0723-7 (hard cover)

to the Sierra

Club

Sierra

Club

Press,

Ltd. for permission to include Portfolios V,

for

for

permis-

the Varian Foundation and the

permission to include Portfolio IV; to Parasol

VI, and VII;

and to Beaumont Newhall and the Estate of Nancy Ncwhall for

permission to include the texts for Portfolios

and VI.

First edition, 1977

First printing

Hard

with laser-scanned separations and new design, 1981

cover: sixth printing, 1986

Paperback: eighth printing, 1986

New

York Graphic Society books

Company (Inc.). Published

Brown and Company (Canada)
and

are published

have been

in 1981,

made of

all

new

photographs, and the type for the seven

trom the original portfolio

Designed by Ann Lampton Curtis

Production coordinated by Nanjernigan

Paper

is

by

Little,

Portfolios of Ansel

pages.

set

Brown

laser-scanned, duotone separations

portfolios has been reproduced directly

Type

Little,

Limited.

For the hard cover and paperback editions of The

Adams published

by

simultaneously in Canada by

DEKR Corporation

Centura Gloss

Engraved and printed by Gardner/Fulmer Lithograph

Bound by A. Horowitz and Son

PREFACE

am more

than pleased that this

new

issue

of The

was prepared

Portfolios

with improved design and printing. The typography from the original portfohos has been faithfully reproduced and the most advanced printing technology, including laser-scanned, duotone separations, has been used. I am also
pleased that the book will now appear in paperback as well as hard cover.

My

photographs was "Parmelian Prints of the High

eighteen prints on Kodak Vitava Athena Parchment T paper,
Sierras" (sic)
typography and title imprint by the Grabhorn Press of San Francisco, privately
published in 1927. While made with care and devotion, it was more representational in approach than my later productions and reflected a style of work
less realized in character and emphasis than my photography after 1930
the
year I saw Paul Strand's negatives in Taos, an experience which profoundly
influenced my concept of photography. My friendship and association with
Alfred Stieghtz from 1933 to his death in 1946 (and with Beaumont and Nancy
Newhall, Edward Weston, friends at The Museum of Modern Art, and others)
first

selection of

stimulated

me

to conceive a personal tribute to Stieglitz's

appropriate to express

my

thoughts and feelings about him and

work; the resulting Portfolio

My

seven portfolios reveal

made from

memory.

was dedicated
a

to his

his

felt it

remarkable

memory.

rather persistent style, through photographs

have worked

much

same approach and with

the same general techniques for forty-five years. The subjects
have photographed are far more varied than many would expect from most exhibited
1932 to 1976.

in

the

and published material; the later portfolios especially reveal some fresh facets.
However, I have telt no reason for drastic change, and I have always believed
it questionable for artists to arbitrarily change their styles
simply to be
different or in step with concurrent movements and trends of creative thought.
I am aware that
may suddenly change my approach
even my medium!
at any time, but such change must come from a deep conviction rather
than an observance of popular fashion. The seven portfolios are, in effect, an
excellent cross section of my work since the days of Group f/64.
have
intentionally disregarded the chronological sequence of photographs within

the portfolios.
I

extend deepest appreciation to

to the

my

colleagues and associates, family and

and assistance in all phases of my work. I am thankful

Grabhorn Press of San Francisco for the typographic design and printing

friends, for their support

of the original text inserts for Portfolios I, II, and III; to Lawton Kennedy of
San Francisco for the Portfolio IV text; and to Adrian Wilson and George
Waters of San Francisco for the texts of Portfolios V, VI, and VII.
I
wish particularly to thank Robert Feldman and his associates (Parasol
Press, Ltd.) for his warm cooperation in granting reproduction rights tor
Portfohos V, VI, and VII.

wish also to thank the United States Department of the Interior and the
National Park Service, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
and its former secretary-general, Henry Allen Moe, for assistance in the creation of Portfolio II; Pirkle Jones and Don Worth for their aid in production
of Portfolios II and III, respectively; Dorothy Varian, Dr. and Mrs. Edward
Ginzton, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Varian, Nancy Newhall, and Liliane De Cock
for their assistance with Portfolio IV. With Portfolios V, VI, and VII warm
appreciation is due L. M. Rosenthal and Company, New York (V) and to
Ted Orland, Phyliss Donohue, James Taylor, Alan Ross, Norman Locks,
Andrea Gray, and Bill Turnage. Special thanks are due Bob Feldman for
invaluable aid in the production of Portfolio VII. I also express thanks to Mary
Alinder for her assistance with the present issue of the book.
It may be of interest that Portfolio I was privately printed in an edition
ot 75 copies, lo of which were made especially for E. Wcyhe of New York
City; Portfolio II was a privately printed edition of lOO numbered copies and
5 presentation copies. Portfolio III was limited to 208 copies, of which 200
were for sale; Portfolio IV was limited to 260 copies, of which 250 were for
sale. Portfolios V and VI were each printed in an edition of iio copies, of
which copies for sale were numbered
through 100, and 10 copies were
lettered A through J; Portfolio VII was limited to
15 copies, of which copies
for sale were numbered
through 100, and 15 copies were lettered A through
O. Each copy of Portfolio VII contained one original Polaroid PolaPan Type
52 Land photograph selected from 57 different images. The mounts of Portfolios I through IV were 14 X 18 inches; those for Portfolios V through VII
were 23 x 29 inches.
In retrospect
may wistfully question the inclusion (or omission) of
certain images in the original portfolios. The selections were logically and
aesthetically agreeable at the time. With these ninety images, comprising in
full my seven major portfolios, I must stand.
I

Carmel, California

Ansel

January igSi

VI

Adams

INTRODUCTION

of modern photography Ansel Adams is something of an

anomaly a triumphant one, but an anomaly nevertheless. In a period when
most ambitious photographers have felt fortunate to win the support of one
parochial segment of the total audience, Adams has been admired by a constituency so large and diverse that it could, one would have assumed, agree
In the history

on nothing.
The spectrum of Adams' admirers has extended from the

great Altred

who

gave the impression that he abhorred the popular, to successful

advertising executives, who are thought to live in terror ot the esoteric.
Between these poles, Adams' supporters have included an impressive list of
critics and historians, younger photographers ot high talent, politicians, curators, conservationists, and an army of photographic hobbyists, who arc
ordinarily interested in no one's work but their own, and who tend to believe
that the art of photography is a matter of better lenses or exotic chemical
Stieglitz,

formulae.

The

reasons for this almost catholic acclaim are not completely clear, but

surely they are based largely on general intuitions that

Adams

has

some

privileged understanding of the meanings of the natural landscape, and that

through

we

also

his pictures

tographer. Like

it

is

made many

all

good

artists

he distrusts categories, and

it

is

true that he

splendid photographs of other sorts of subjects. Nevertheless,

we are primarily
memory of what

to define the reasons for

thankful to
it

was

Adams

like to

our

own

gratitude, and

because the best of his pictures

think

stir

our

be alone in an untouched world.

does not advance us very

handsomely composed,

far to

note that

Adams

technically flawless photographs

ural landscapes, a subject which, like

These

of us some hint or glimpse of what

object to being described specifically as a landscape pho-

our prerogative

It

rest

once knew.

Adams would
has

he has given the

motherhood,

attributes are surely virtues. For

many

is

has

made

elegant,

of magnificent nat-

almost beyond reproach.

they are sufficient virtues, and

these many need not wonder what the precise difference is between the best
of Adams' pictures and uncounted other neat, clean, and dramatic photographs
of the glorious American West.
The difference presumably depends from the fact that Adams understands
better the character and significance of his subject matter, and thus is especially

vii

moments

most intensely consonant

with the earth's own tonic notes. We must remind ourselves, however, that
all we know of Adams' understanding of the earth comes to us not from any
direct view into his mind or spirit, but only from photographs, little monochrome substitutes for his ultimately private experience. To the best of our
knowledge, he knows no more than he has shown us. As with any artist, his
intuitions are finally no better than his prowess.
What Adams' pictures show us is different from what we see in any
landscape photographer before him. They are concerned, it seems to me, not
alert to

those details, aspects, and

that are

with the description of objects the rocks, trees, and water that are the nominal parts of his pictures
but with the description of the light that they

modulate, the light that

justifies their relationship to

each other. In this context

compare Aciams' photographs with those of his older friend

and neighbor Edward Weston, who photographed much of the same country
it is

instructive to

Adams

that

has photographed, but

The landscape

ot picture.

weighty, and

there a very different species

Weston's pictures is seen as sculpture: round,

comparison, Adams' pictures seem as de-

in

fleshily sensuous, hi

materialized as the reflections on

mist:

who found

water, or the shadows cast on morning

still

disembodied images concerned not with the corpus of things but with

their transient aspect.

From

Adams' problem

the standpoint of craft,

is

more

difficult

than

with eternal verities than with quicksilver.

Those who have wondered whether Adams' legendary technique is in fact
altogether necessary, or whether it might be a kind of showy overkill, reveling
in an unnecessary perfection, have perhaps not understood the content of
Adams" pictures, which describe phenomena as ephemeral and evanescent, in
an unpeopled world, as those of his contemporary, Cartier-Bresson, describe
Weston's, dealing

as

it

does

less

world of human events. To describe in a small monochrome picture the

ciifference between the twilight ot early morning and that of evening, or
between the warm sun of May and the hot sun of June, requires that every
tone of the gray scale be tuned to a precise relationship of pitch and volume,
so that the picture as a whole sounds a chord that is consonant with our
memories of what it was like, or our dreams of what it might be like, to stand
in a

in

such

spot

at

such

Adams would
description,

which

moment.
comes down to a question of good
but which has caused a good deal of

perhaps say that

is

it

doubtless true

misunderstanding, since the thing being described

mountain but

concept of one

way

in

which

not (for example)

is

mountain might be transposed

into a photograph.

The

particular variety

Adams photograph is not

Adams would

of precision which
graphic but tonal.

of an
diagram of the composition of

is

essential to the success

be largely irrelevant. Adams

the traditional concept of composition, which is

a first-rate

is

Vlll

not

way

much

interested

ot relating the

discrete parts

of

a picture in

mechanical notions.
unified

by the

He

terms of mass, torque,

has what

is

him

for

and other similar

better system. His pictures are

light that describes a coherent space, in

play only supporting

inertia,

which individual objects

roles.

with which Adams translates the anarchy of the natural world

into these perfectly tuned chords of gray creates a sense of heightened order
that is often mistaken by nonphotographers for sharpness, hi tact Adams'

The

skill

no more optically acutethan those of any other

They
more
matter not
competent technician using similar
photographs are no sharper

tools.

of better lenses but of

If

it

is

true that

a better

are

clear

understanding of what one means.

Adams' work

precise tonal relationships, then

it

based on the translation of light into

is
is

clear that for

him

the original print

which allows the most exact control over these relationships is not an exercise
in exquisite retinement, but the ultimate reality and central discipline ot his
art. Adams' best prints are no better than his best seeing requires.
For the same reason necessity Adams has tor torty years demanded,
promoted, and generally received much better photomechanical reproduction
for his many books than most photographers would have considered necessary, and often better than the printers themselves knew they were capable ot.
The standard of photomechanical reproduction that is satisfactory for most
luxury picture books is not satisfactory for Adams' work, for such reproduc-

tion edits out the subtle shadings ot tonality that can ciescribe the character ot

natural light at a specific place and

printing can

not

in

moment.

On

every case, but sometimes

the other hand, the very best

stand

virtually as a surrogate

for a perfect photographic print.

At this late date we must remind ourselves that photogaphy, during most
of its first century, was known primarily through the medium of original
photographic prints. Until World War I photographs were manufactured in
significant quantities, as bread and shoes were, even in modest towns, in order
to publish the community's scenic wonders, industrial achievements, and
notable citizens. Only in the past fifty years have professional photographers
come to assume that they were to make their livings by selling reproduction
rights rather than actual photographs.

The new system was easier, often more profitable, and in some respects
more satisfying. The photographer now needed to make only one print from
his negative, for delivery to the photoengraver, who would begin the process
of thousands or millions, through its publication 111 periodicals. This procedure had only two disadvantages. The photographer now a member of a committee rather than an independent publisher
surrendered much of his control over the content and the quality of
his work.

ot multiplying

it

for an audience

IX

Under

the

now

dispensation an ambitious photographer

who

continued

ongmal prints did so for one of two reasons: either he wished to

make pictures for which there was no recognized mass market, or he wished
to make pictures which required a precision of statement that the photoengraver could not normally reproduce. For Adams, both conditions obtained.
He wanted to make perfect photographs of a landscape he knew and loved,
including mountains that were not as tall or as newsworthy as Mount Everest,
to try to sell

were

comparison with Victoria or Niagara, and

glacial lakes so small that one could put a thousand of them in Lake Erie
without much improving it. To make matters worse Adams was making such
pictures during a great world depression (and a quarter century before ecology
became an undergraduate password), during which period it was clearly understood that the important issues involving nature had to do with dust storms,
floods, drought, grasshoppers, and hurricanes, and not with the jewel-like
waterfalls that

perfection ot

This
to

is

insignificant in

a frigid

pond

to say that the

make was

in the

High

Sierra.

market for the pictures that

limited, so limited

tact that

it

Adams most wanted

could be satisfied by the slow,

demanding, old-tashioned method of making original prints.* And since the

public for such work was small at best, one need not worry much about what
might most surely please it. Thus, ot all Adams' publications, his portfolios
most clearly represent his personal view of the meaning ot his work.
Small is of course a relative term. It is probable that Ansel Adams has
produced in his own darkrooms more carefully considered and fastidiously
finished prints than any photographer of the twentieth century. The plates in
this book, reproducing the pictures in Adams' seven numbered portfolios,
represent a total of some thirteen thousand individual prints, made between
the years 194S and 1976. This is a very impressive number for a modern
photographer, but it cannot compare with the output ot artists who have
worked energetically in the traditional graphic media. The total number of
original prints by Picasso
probably the champion producer since Daumier
has been estimated at one hundred and ninety thousand.
more difficult and more time-consuming to make a
It is, unhappily,
perfect print from a photographic negative than from an etching plate or a

lithographic stone.

The

traditional graphic techniques transmit a simple yes-

or-no signal, while the photographer's negative is highly plastic, allowing a

broad range of variation that demands not only good craft but critical interpretation. In rough metaphor, the photographer's negative is to the etcher's
plate as the violin is to the drum. Furthermore, once the etcher's print looks
right, the etcher's

work

The point was made

is

done.

succinctly

When

by the

the photographer's print looks right

fictitious fashion

played by Fred Astaire in the movie Funny Face (1956),

how

small the

demand

is

for pictures ot trees."

who

photographer Richard Avery,

said,

"You would

be amazed

at

possessed by

halt-dozen chemical devils that will destroy its perfection

hours
ot tedious donkeywork.
if not exorcised by
The traditional chemical methods of making photographs, in which the
image is formed by molecular metal reduced from metallic salts, is and always
has been an unsatisfactory method of making large numbers of multiple prints.
it

is

It remains, however, a method by which the photographer can achieve a more

complete, elegant, subtle, and satisfactory translation of the image formed by
his camera's lens than is available from any other system. Further, while it is

way of making one thousand duplicate

way to make one. Photographers assume

an impossibly tedious and expensive

prints,

it

is

the best and cheapest

therefore that, until the techniques available to

them

are radically revised, their

and speculative work will continue to be done by the

ancient and troublesome chemical methods.

most

serious, personal,

On

who

support of an angel
can

work

the other hand,

now

is

that has

won

persuacied that

it

substantial audience (or

should have

a substantial

won

the

audience)

be photomechanically reproduced so well that the reproduction can

stand almost as

a fully

vested representative of the original print.

Not

quite,

but almost.

Serious photographers believe that photography

something larger aiul

more inclusive than the sum ot all photographs made thus tar, larger even
than all those that will be made in the future, and that the chief adventure of
the medium lies not in using what is know'n but m learning more. It seems
clear that the best, most interesting photographers have indentured themselves
to this ideal, and that this generic artistic ambition has taken precedence over
the claims of the specific subject matter with which they have chosen to work.
To some degree, the mountain, or the historic human event, has been a pretext
is

tor picture-making.

Nevertheless,
cifics.

artists,

The photographer
must depend on

unlike philosophers, must deal with physical speespecially, being least able

of

all

artists to

achieve

must be inferred
from
One family picnic on the banks of the Marne, clearly seen,
may stand for civilization; one unfolding fern, for freedom.
If this suggests the game that photographers play, it should be added that
the game can be played well only in an environment in which the photographer
is knowledgeable and at home, and in which the subtle distinctions of meaning
synthesis,

its

opposite: symbol. Large issues

trivial data.

inherent in subject matter are understood and appreciated.

Adams one might

even more
committed to the ideal of making one pertect photograph than he is to the
goal of expressing the beauty and meaning of the wild landscape. But if he
does not love and wish to understand the wild landscape, where will he find
the energy and tenacity needed to see his subject, coldly and clearly, as a
In the specific case ot Ansel

picture?

XI

guess that he

is

Adams was born

in 1902, in San Francisco. He began to photograph

American West more than fifty years ago, before the
Model A had begun to replace the Model T. At that time there were no
superhighways, no motels, and no passenger airlines. San Francisco and New
York were, by crack train, four splendid days apart.
In those days the world was still a reasonably commodious place, and it
was natural to assume that its various parts would retain their discrete, articulated character if they could be protected from the depreciations of the lumber,
mineral, and water barons. Conservation then was a matter of seeking the
support of the people against the encroachment of the powerful few. If one
could describe in photographs how much like Eden was Yosemite Valley the
electorate would presumably save it from its its exploiters. It was not foreseen
that the people, having saved it, would consider it their own, nor that a

Ansel

the landscape ot the

million pink-cheeked Boy Scouts, greening teenage backpackers, and middleaged sightseers might, with the best of intentions, destroy a wilderness as
surely as the most rapacious ot lumbermen, who did his damage quickly and
left the land to recover if it could.
It has developed, in other words, that to photograph beautifully a choice
vestigial remnant ot natural landscape is not necessarily to do a great favor to
its future. This problem is now understood, intuitively or otherwise, by many
younger photographers of talent, who tend to make landscapes of motifs that

have already been fully exploited and that have therefore nowhere to go but
up. It is difficult today for an ambitious young photographer to photograph
a pristine snowcapped mountain without including the parking lot in the
foreground as a selt-protecting note ot irony.
In these terms Adams' pictures are perhaps anachronisms. They are perhaps the last contldent and deeply felt pictures of their tradition. It is possible
that Adams himself has come to sense this. The best of his later pictures have
about them a nervous intensity that is almost shrill, a Bernini-like anxiety, the

of a violin string stretched tight.

It does not seem likely that a photographer of the future will be able to
bring to the heroic wild landscape the passion, trust, and belief that Adams
has brought to it. If this is the case, his pictures are all the more precious, for
they then stand as the last records, for the young and the future, of what they
they will be a souvenir of what was
missed. For the aging
for a little while
brilliance

lost.

John S^arkou'ski

xn

PORTFOLIO ONE
Twelve Photographic

Prints

by

ANSEL ADAMS

SAN FRANCISCO

1948

To photograph
the surfaces

and record

manity which
is

truthfully^

and

effectively is to see beneath

the qualities of nature

or are latent in all things. Impression

live

not enough. Design, style, technique, these, too, are

must reach further than impression or

not enough. Art

self-revelation. Art, said Alfred Stieglitz,

of

and hu-

life.

And

life,

or

its

eternal evidence,

Some photographers
wood and
their

stone

it

is

everywhere.

impose the dominations of

spirit.

Others come before reality

more tenderly and a photograpli

ment of love and

the affirmation

take reality as the sculptors take

and upon

own thought and

is

revelation.

to

true

them

is

an instru-

photograph need not

be explained, nor can be contained in words.

Expressions without doctrine,

my

photographs are

presented here as ends in themselves, images of the endless

and

moments of the
to the spirit

world. I dedicate them to the

of Alfred

Stieglitz.

memory

List of the Prints

1.

MOUNT McKINLEY, ALASKA

1948

2.

SAGUARO CACTUS, SUNRISE, ARIZONA

1946

3.

RAPIDS

4.

MORMON TEMPLE,

5.

VINE AND ROCK, ISLAND OF HAWAII, T. H.

1948

6.

REFUGIO BEACH, CALIFORNIA

1946

7.

THE WHITE CHURCH, HORNITOS, CALIFORNIA

1946

8.

ROOTS, FOSTER GARDENS, HONOLULU, T.H.

1948

9.

OAK TREE, SNOW STORM, YOSEMITE

1948

BELOW VERNAL

VALLEY

FALL, YOSEMITE

MANTI,

UTAH

19-*8

1948

NEAR JUNEAU, ALASKA

10.

TRAILSIDE,

11.

ALFRED STIEGLITZ, AN AMERICAN PLACE, NEW YORK

1938

12.

CLOUDS AROVE GOLDEN C.-VNYON, DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

1946

1948

PORTFOLIO ONE
Issued
10 copies

made

in

an edition of 75 copies

especially for E. IVeyhe,

THIS

IS

Typography by

the

New

COPY NUMBER

Grabhorn

Press,

San Francisco

York City

Prints 1,2, 3,4, 6, 7,9,

Prints 5, 8, 10,

and

1 1

and 12 are contact prints from 8 x 10 negatives.

are enlargements from

8 X IC negatives were

All

SH

x -tH and

made on Panchromatic

lilm of

4x5 negatives.

Vi

cslon speed 50.

rhe smaller negatives were made on Panchromatic lilm of \^ eston speed 100.
Negativesofl,2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 12 were developed in Metol-sultite (Kodak
Negatives of 5, 8, and IC were developed

Negative of b was developed

in a

Ansco

47.

a deep tank with

Negative of No.

D-2.3).

Kodak Durol.
1

was developed

pyrocatechin developer.

prints

.\ll

in

in

veloped

and enlargements made on a bromo-chloride projection paper, de-

in Metol-Cilycin,

and

lightly

toned

in

Selenium.

The prints are dry-mounted: should any print become partially or entirely
unmounted, do not attempt

who

to

re-mount with paste or glue. Consult someone

understand.^ the process of dry mounting.

Protect the surfaces of the prints with the paper mter-Ieaves at

prints are not

This portfolio

is

times

when

one of a limited edition, and the 12 prints herein sliould not

be separately disposed
12

all

on displav. Prmts on exhibit should alwavs be hung underglass.

of. .\nsel

photographs in Portfolio One.

.\dams reserves

all

reproduction rights to the

Plate

Plate 2

Plate

Plate 4

Plate

Plate 6

Plate 7

Plate 8

>

Plate 9

>

Plate 10

Plate

Plate 12

PORTFOLIO

TWO

THE NATIONAL PARKS &

MONUMENTS
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
ANSEL ADAMS

SAN FRANCISCO

1950

ABOUT T\^ENT\-Fn'E YEARS AGO, AT THE HOME OF MY DEAR FRIEND

CEDRIC VRIGHT IN BERKELEY,
HE.\RT.

FIRST

MET A LITTLE MAN

\^

ITH A AnGHT\'

HE SAW SOME OF MY EARLIEST MOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY AND

PROMPTLY, WITH CONVICTION, HE ENCOURAGED ME TO FOLLOW THE

CAMERA. THROUGHOUT THE YEARS HE WAS AN UNFAILING FRIEND ANT)
PATRON, A SOURCE OF WISDOM AND
BELIEF \N

SPIRIT.

LNFORMED

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY AND

IN

\SITH A LU.MINOUS

THE INTEGRITY OF THE

INDIMDUAL, HE BROUGHT TO ME -AND TO COUNTLESS OTHERS - AID AND

CONFIDENCE AND A CLEAR SENSE OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE CREATHE

SPIRIT. IN

GRATITUDE FOR THE FAITH HE PLACED

I

IN

ME SO LONG AGO,

DEDICATE THIS WORK TO THE MEMORY OF

ALBERT BENDER

To

the LniteJ States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, and to the

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and

Moe,

made

e.xpress

my

possible the creation of these photographs.

photographer,

its

Secretary-General, Henry Allen

deep appreciation for the understanding and invaluable assistance which

my warmest

The

And

to Pirkle Jones,

good friend and

thanks for his aid in the production of this portfolio.

edition

is

limited to 100

numbered copies

and five presentation

copies.

COPY NUMBER

Typography by The Grahhorn Press

fine

List of the Prints

1.

Noon clouds. Glacier National

2.

Forest, early morning,

Rainier National Park, Washington

1949

3.

Dunes, hazy sun, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

1941

4.

White House Ruin, morning. Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona 1949

5.

From Hurricane

6.

Moth and stump, Interglacial Forest, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska 1949

7.

Sentinel Rock, winter dusk, Yosemite National Park, Cahfomia

1944

8.

Afternoon sun, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

1943

9.

In Joshua Tree National

10. Rain,

1 1.

Mount

Park, Montana

1942

HiU, Olympic National Park, Washington

1948

Monument, California

1942

Beartrack Cove, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska

Dead

tree.

1949

Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona

12. Zabriski Point,

1947

Death Valley National Monument, Cahfomia

19^2

13.

Old Faithful Geyser, late evening, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

1942

1-+.

The

1949

15.

Dawn, Autumn

Atlantic,

Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park, Maine

forest.

Great

Smoky Mountains

1948

National Park, Tennessee

NOTES
The contact

prints (Nos.

largements (Nos.

2. 3. 4. 7. 8, 9. 1

5, 6, 10. 13.

1-+.

15\ were

1 ,

2).

and the en-

made on bromo-

The

surface of these photographs

is

delicate.

To

protect

them

from scratches and abrasions, the paper interleaves should

al-

When

chloride projection papers, developed in Metol-Glycin. occas-

ways be replaced whenever the

ionally supported

displayed on the wall, the prints should always be under glass.

by addition of Hydroquinone. and toned in

portfolio

is

handled.

selenium. The prints are dry-mounted on Strathmore Drawing

Board. In the unlikely event of their becoming detached from
the mounts,

DO NOT

attempt to use paste or glue. Have an

experienced professional remount them by the original

mounting

process.

dr)'-

This portfolio

is

conceived as an expressive whole.

of a limited edition,
separately. Ansel

and the

fifteen prints are

Adams rescnes

all

It is

one

not available

reproduction rights to

the fifteeo photographs in Portfolio Two.

This then

Here

is

is life,

what has come

to the surface after so

many throes and convulsions

How curious! How real!

Underfoot the divine

Each

is

not for

its

soil,

own

overhead the sun.

sake,

I say the whole earth and all the stars

in the sk\-

are for religion's sake.

I say no man has ever yet been half devout enough.

None has

ever yet adored or worship' d half enough,

None has begun

to think

Was somebody asking to

See, your

how

divine he himself is,

and how

certain the future

is.

see the soul?

own shape and countenance, persons, substances,

the running rivers, the rocks

beasts, the trees,

and sands.

All hold spiritual Joys and afterwards loosen them

How can the real body ever die and be buried?

A world primal again, vistas of glory incessant and branching

You oceans that have been calm within me!

How I feel you, fathomless, stirring,

preparing unprecedented waves and storms

Hear the loud echoes of my songs

WALT

\t"HlTMAN

Starting from

Paumanok

II

Plate

II

Plate 2

s\|jv/||.'||.M
I

-I

II /

Plate

II

Plate 4

II /

Plate

II

Plate 6

II

Plate 7

II

Plate 8

II

Plate 9

II

Plate 10

II

Plate

II

Plate 12

II

/Plate 13

11

Plate 14

II

Plate

PORTFOLIO THREE

YOSEMITE
VALLEY
Sixteen Original Photographic Prints

by

ANSEL ADAMS

SIERRA CLUB

:.

SAN FRANCISCO

i960

List of Prints
1.

2.

-MONOLITH,

THE FACE OF HALF DOME

MERCED RHER, CLIFFS OF CATHEDRAL ROCKS, ALTIMN

LO^TR YOSEMITE FALL

3.

TREES AND SNOW

4.

5.

EL CAPm\N, SUNRISE

6.

7.

TENAYA CREEK, SPRING RAIN

\^"ATER .VND FO.OI

8.

9.

10.

13.

WLNTER STORM

DOG^^'OOD BLOSSOMS

11.

12.

BRANCHES IN SNOW

GRASS AND POOL

NEVADA

FALL, RAINBO\^'

RUSHING WATER, MERCED RH ER

14.

15.

16.

BRIDAL VEIL FALL

TREES ANT3 CLIFFS

H.ALF DOME,

THUNDER CLOUD

DEDICATED TO

NANCY AND BEAUMONT NEWHALL

YO SEMITE VALLEY,
wonder

to

me, is always a sunrise, a

in a vast edifice of stone

and space.

music that exceeds the compeUing

granite

cliff

know of no

spiritual

command

and dome, of patina of hght on rock and

whispering of the

falling,

flowing waters. At

glitter of

green and golden

sculpture, painting, or

of the soaring shape of

forest,

and of the thunder and

the colossal aspect

first

may dominate;

then we perceive and respond to the delicate and persuasive complex of nature.
After the initial excitement we begin to sense the need to share the living realities of this

miraculous place.We

We may be
also

filled

may resent the intrusion of urban

with regret that so

much

superficialities.

has happened to despoil, but

we can

respond to the challenge to re-create, to protect, to re-interpret the enduring

essence of Yosemite, to re-estabhsh

it

as a sanctuary

from the turmoil of the time.

How may we accomphsh this?

Who

can define the moods of the wild places, the meaning of nature in domains

beyond those

of material use?

Here are worlds

of experience

the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The

of nature

grasp

and the revelations of great

them only

beyond the world of

moods and

qualities

art are equally difficult to define;

we can

in the depths of our perceptive spirit.

Perhaps age must remember the clear perceptions of youth and return to the
sensing of freshness, of strength, and of wonder; perhaps age needs to recall the

beginnings of comprehension of

mood and meaning and

to rekindle an apprecia-

tion of the marvelous, of being in resonance with the world. If a

sensitive awareness of the natural world with experience
spirit w411

man

nurtures his

and contemplation, his

remain young.

In these sLxteen photographs are

manv deep

Each

echoes of experience from more

represents, for me, a

moment of wonder.

than

fort)-

The

pictures are put together as a continual pattern of personal

years in Yosemite A alley.

mood and

re-

sponse; they do not attempt a complete pictorial exposition of Yosemite, nor are

they organized chronologically. A certain sequence is indicated for esthetic reasons,

yet each photograph should stand on

own

merit and appeal. This collection

is,

autobiography in photographic images, the selection of which

in a way, a personal
is

its

based on emotional impulse and personal experience rather than on intellectual

or historical judgment.

Both the grand and the intimate aspects of nature can be rcAealed

Both can

pressive photograph.

stir

in the ex-

enduring affirmations and discoveries, and can

surely help the spectator in his search for identification with the vast world of natural beauty

and wonder surrounding him and help him comprehend man's con-

ANSEL ADAM S

tinuing need for that world.

NOTES
The photographs herein cover a

considerable span of time

Dome,

(Monolith, the Face of Half

Print

to

from 1926

16) or by projection printing (Prints

1959 (Tenaya Creek, Spring

veloped

Raio, Print 7), but they are not arranged in chronological order. For

priate

those interested in photographic technique the following notes

utes

^-ill

be of

amounts

The negative materials used vary from Wratten

Glass Plates (Print 1)

diate

Ansco Super Hypan, and the cameras employed from standard view

cameras (8 x 10, 6^ x

8V4,

5x7 and

aingle-lens reflex. Negative

4 x

development

Kodak D-23 and DK-5C,and Ansco

except for Print

1,

where a deep red

Filters

were used sparingly,

filter (^V ratten

29) produced the in-

edition

1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9,

is

PLEASE NOTE
cess they should

This

to

5 min-

second

for

10 minutes

in

Kodak hypo-

Kodak Selenium

down on

plastic screens

As the prints are mounted by the dry-mounting pro-

copies of which

lo the

become detached to

in

mounts

whole or

How from the

indefinitelyin part

remount with ordinary adhesivesi take the

to a reputable photo-technician for

208
is

in water.

minutes was followed by imme-

fnr 5 to

remain firmly attached

mount, do not attempt

12, 15, and

limited to

for several

were fixed

and stored

Illustration Board.

were made on Kodak Medalist F double-weight paper (glossy,

The

hypo solution)

immersion (without rinsing)

ever, should any print

but not ferrotyped) by contact printing (Prints

prints

fixing bath, then rinsed

without application of heat. Ail prints were dry-mounted on Strathmore

tentionally dramatic effect.

All prints

Edwal Orthozite. The

Kodak F-5

11, 13, and 14), and de-

occasional addition of appro-

Toner. The prints were then washed and dried face

images was Pyro,

47, and for the Hasselblad images (Prints

8 and 13) Kodak DK-20 and Edwal Minicol.

of

'ft'ith

eliminator solution, to which was added 100 to 200 cc

5) to the Hasselblad {2v* x 2v*)

for the large

4, 5, 8, 10,

Edwal Super-Ill developer

fixing (in plain

interest.

to

in

remounting

in a

dry-mounting

2CC are for sale.

Copy Number

TYPOGRAPHY BY THE GRABHORN PRESS, SAN FRANCISCO

CASES BY PERRY DAVIS, BELMONT, CALIFORNIA
I wish

to express

my

thanks to

this portfolio,

and

Don Worth who proi'ided

to all

my friends who gave

invaluable assistance in the preparation of

wise counsel

and encouragement.

print
press.

Ill

Plate

Ill

Plate 2

Ill

Plate

III

Plate 4

%^\.
//

Ill

Plate

Ill /

Plate 6

Ill

Plate 7

HI

Plate 8

Ill

Plate 9

Ill /

Plate 10

Ill

Plate

II

Ill

Plate 12

Ill

Plate

Ill /

Plate 14

^:^
III /

Plate 15

Ill

Plate 16

WHAT

MAJESTIC

WORD

In memory of Russell Varian

BY

ANSEL ADAMS
PORTFOLIO FOUR

SIERRA CLUB

SAN FRANCISCO

1963

TEKLANIKA RIVER

MOUNT Mckinley national

park, alaska

II

SEQUOIA ROOTS, MARIPOSA GROVE

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA
III

LEAF,

GLACIER BAY NATIONAL MONUMENT, ALASKA

IV
DUNES, OCEANO, CALIFORNIA

V
CATHEDRAL PEAK AND LAKE
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA
VERNAL

FALLS,

VI
YOSEMITE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
VII

CLEARING STORM
HILLS, CALIFORNIA

SONOMA COUNTY

VIII

OAK TREE, SUNSET CITY

SIERRA FOOTHILLS, CALIFORNIA
IX
CASTLE ROCK
SUMMIT ROAD ABOVE SARATOGA, CALIFORNIA

X
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST REDWOODS
XI
ORCHARD, EARLY SPRING
NEAR STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA
XII
SIESTA LAKE
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

STORM

SURF.

XIII
TIMBER COVE, CALIFORNIA

XIV
TUOLUMNE MEADOWS
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

XV
SIERRA NEVADA, WINTER EVENING
FROM THE OWENS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

The production

photographs of the natural scene seemed from

of a Portfolio of creative

The

the start to be an appropriate expression of tribute and affection for Russell Varian.
fact that original prints

were considered gave

would obtain from reproductions

more

intense validity to the project than

no matter how

in a book,

fine they

might

be.

In addition,

the excerpts from his writings, and the poetry of his father, John O. Varian, accentuate the

highly personal character of this presentation.

In selecting from a considerable
table

photographs

for inclusion in

intellect

and mystical perceptions.

was not

a place-gatherer, or a

as

prey for

clouds, lights
lated in

him

To him

His

forests as a

grandeur of

the places, things and

spirit

moods

was constantly aware

man

nature was a fundamental spiritual

in

any

way

magnihcence

in this Portfolio

is

reality.

He

approach the world

affair

with the rocks,

Divine Performance in which

vast

of great

poet father, his exposure to the subtle

youth, and his life-long love

and

of a

of

mind and

related in

Russell Varian loved. In

some

some the

we

live,

trees,

accumu-

heart unique in our time.

direct or indirect

essences of light

way

to

and space

m others the substance of rock and wood, and the luminous insistence of growing
transformed into what the

things. Shapes of nature,

and the perceptive

spirit,

intention to present
natural world

through

And

heart of Russell Varian

may

Carmel, California

as

medium

through them

and patient benedictions

October i ig6}

the

which may have meaning

to him.

artist calls

forms by the controlled eye

are presented here as the equivalents of experience.

such equivalents could never be mclusive,

meaning

Irish forebears, his

and storms comprising the

Hence, every photograph

dominate;

Portfoho

this

images the particular and inevi-

of appropriate

mountain-winner, or did he

egotistical conquest.

beauty of dunes and

number

of

hope

infinite. It

photography intuitive observations

to the spectators, just as they

be re\'ealed at

of nature

the experiences are practically

Obviously

that

least

some

of noble

world

in

my

of the

might have had

of the quality, sensitivity

suggested to

and the benefactions

is

need

and

of the vast

men.
Ansel

Adams

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
What Majestic Word

(Portfolio Four) by Ansel

Foundation and published

the Sierra Club.

bj'

assistance of the following individuals:

and

for her

monograph on

Russell Varian; Dr. and Mrs.

Russell Varian and his father

detail in

Ansel

and printing of the

texts

and the individual print

De Cock

mounting, spotting and collating the

Adams

advice and

Eric Varian of

and editing the excerpts from the writings of

John Varian, and otherwise lending her experience and

for the preparation of the cases; Miss Liliane

made

Edward Ginzton, and Mr. and Mrs.

in selecting

ability to the general

and design qualities of the production; Lawton Kennedy, Printer, San Francisco, for

attention to the design

the Varian

Dorothy Varian for her constructive advice and encouragement

Halq'on; Nancy Newhall for her valued help

literary

Adams is produced under the sponsorship of

The Foundation expresses appreciation for the

his

devoted

folders; Perry Davis, Burlingame,

for her assistance to

Ansel

Adams

in the

arduous

prints.

wishes to express his deep appreciation for permissions to use the pictures which were

for certain projects

and

clients:

photographs

I, II,

III,

XII and

XFV were made under a Guggenheim

Fellowship, photograph VII courtesy of the Skirball Ranch, photograph VIII courtesy of Sunset Petro-

leum Corporation, photograph

X courtesy of the Sierra Club and photograph XIII courtesy, Timber Cove

Properties.

This edition of

Portfolio Four

is

This

limited to

is

260

copies,

250

of which are for

copy number

Fifteen original prints by Ansel

Adams, Carmel

Typography and Printing by Lawton Kennedy, San Francisco

Cases by Perry Davis, Burlingame, California

sale.

IV

Plate

IV

Plate 2

IV

Plate

IV

Plate 4

IV

Plate

V
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^H^H^^^^^^K

^^^ft

H
^m
^P

^B-

^w^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1

^^^^^^^1

<K^

^1

4jfl^29^^l

-i^^P
1^

j^^^^hII^^^^^^h

^^^^^yWa^^^K^Zy

^_

^HEh^^HHk
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HB||^^^^^^^

.^^^^^^I

IV

,"

jfl

"^^9

I^Hi

Plate 6

IV

Plate 7

IV

Plate 8

IV

Plate 9

IV

Plate 10

IV

Plate

IV /Plate

12

IV

Plate

IV

Plate 14

IV

Plate ij

ANSEL ADAMS
PORTFOLIO V

PARASOL PRESS, LTD.

1970

NEW YORK

INTRODUCTION
Man may
his

own

feci

world.

m chaos

And

is

sa\'

if

would turn

tins

which includes photography, has ever

histor\- of art,

most of those images

that

statement

world contains or suggests more images than the

this

wait somewhere for

even

them form.

"until the artist gnes

around and

whole

God moving above the chaos ot this world and creatrng

Ansel Adams sa\'s there are onl\' shapes-"configurations

he

\'Ou.

Man

has discovered

New images cr\' out

\ou ha\e turned from the

literal

\'et

discovered.

endure, and

still

to be seen and realized,

own

into \our

mystical or

mathematical world.

So

the space

limited onl\'

and grow

we must lue
b\'

ourselves,

in vision,

m cosmic, planctarw personal

and changes constantl\-

understanding and compassion.

portfolio of photographs proves

images

It is a

it

as

new

ourselves change

And

this

have ever seen.

dazzling collection, and few have been seen before

aspect of Ansel

Yosemite and Yellowstone,

And now he
them

fangs ot

looks

at

as

some of

if

in

any form,

and quality. They convey

Adams, who has never been

on some of the most be-photographed

seen

we

completel\as any collection of

certainK' not together and in prints of this size

a

as

is

afraid to look afresh

places in the world, such as

only the wind had passed that wa\' before.

his favorite subjects as

before. The strange pinnacles of the

if

even he had never

Alabama

once might\- mountain range, soar up

Hills, the last

like ancient i^ods,

glittering with the telescoped planes of their multi-eroded textures.

stark black-and-white of

The

Lone Pine Peak, the harsh desolation of the

Mudhills, where nothma grows, are followed

b\'

two

might expect from Adams, the moon swept up by

ima^^es such as

we

ethereal clouds in a

never-never land, and the excjuisite tapestr\' of forest and stream

at

dusk.

The

Pctroi^l\-phs,

incised

with rhcir flecina or meditative beasts -antelopes?

on shadowed locks

festif\- to

chase ot these ma^^ic animals.

Bhick Sun, an

imas;:;e

a total life

\\

oman behind

experience.

\W do

mountain sunlight and deep snows,

we ha\e

Man

in the

of the

the screen door, an almost ghostly

not need to
is

The monumental White Stump broken

then

of prnnitive

the m\stenoiis radiance

her face and her hands express her. She

And

]o\'

m\stical and disttirbing, and the nostalgia and

compassion tor the old

image of

Then

the

is

know

her name;

the past lookuii^ at

b\-

iis.

huge storms, weathered

b\-

high

profound and heroic symbol.

the ominous, tortuous Pipes with their gauges,

symbols of the Industrial Jungles of our land.

WHiat

IS

Adams

tr\ing to say to us?

only photographs can

to
I

sum up

sav.

He

certain qualities

He

says he can't verbalize

says onl\' that his portfolio

and feelinas he has not

this portfolio. It

is a

seems to him

clarified before.

think that what none of us can put into words as \et,

once we open

about what

profound statement

is

clear within us

b\' a

great

photographer.

Nancy Ncwhall, igjo

PORTFOLIO V

1.

Pinnacles,

Alabama

2.

Mudhills, Arizona

3.

Lone Pine Peak,

Moon

0\scns Valley, California

Hills,

1947

Sierra

Nevada, California

Ca. i960

and Clouds, Northern California

1959

5.

Forest and Stream, Northern Cahlornia

1959

6.

Petroglyphs,

7.

The

8.

Woman

9.

White Stump,

4.

10.

1945

Monument

Valley,

Black Sun, Tungsten Hills,

Utah

Owens

1958

Valley, California

behind Screen Door, Independence, California

Sierra

Pipes and Gauges,

Nevada, California

West Virginia

1939

Ca. 1936

1939

Ca. 1944

Portfolio

V has

been produced in an edition oj lio copies, of which

There are 100 copies numbered

The publication of this

and

interest

of L.

M.

portfolio

Rosenthal

too are for

through too and to copies lettered

was made

& Co.,

through

sale.

J.

possible through the generosity

New

York.

The enlargements, b\ Ansel Adams, are made on Brovira paper ( Agfa-Gevaert),

developed in

Kodak Dektol and

toned

selenium.

The\ are mounted on Strathmore j-ply Drawing Board.

Ansel

Adams

photographs

I,

states that, to the best

z, j,

that photographs 6,

z^,

j,

of his knowledge and belief

7 and 10 have never been printed

8 and 9 have never been printed

before,

in this form

and

only two or three smaller prints, proofs and a few reproductions in

exhibit catalogues have been

made of

the latter. Portfolio

unique prints and no further prints will be made from

All rights reserved.

without

the

No

comprises

the negatives.

print herein can he reproduced in anv form

express permission of the photographer and the publisher.

This includes slides and microfiche

Design of

the introductory

pages by Adrian Wilson, San Francisco.

Composition in Centaur and Arrighi types by Mackenye

Photolithography by George Waters, San Francisco.

& Harris,

Inc.,

San Francisco.

Plate

Plate 2

Plate 3

Plate 4

Plate

Plate 6

Plate 7

Plate 8

Plate 9

/Plate 10

ANSEL ADAMS
PORTFOLIO VI

PARASOL PRESS, LTD

NEW YORK
1974

PORTFOLIO

VI

Dedicated with deep ailection and respect to the

memory

GOTTARDO PIAZZONI
1872-1945

and

EDWARD WESTON
1886-1958

who

encouratjed

me

in so

man\' wa\'s to observe

the beaut\- oi the world and challenged

interpret

it

through the

medium

me

to express

of photography.

and

of

FOREWORD

Ansel

Adams

having the strange experience of looking back tIirou;h

is

more chan Htcv

\-ears

of

his \\ork.

Man\'

ol us have

had that curious

flash

of surprise and recognition when suddenly coming across some

earlv

and totalK' forgotten print or

was that good then!"

A moment

article,

"My

"Wh\-

later,

god,

didn't think

actually has the

it

whole

mood and meaning of that time!" Or, of course, the opposite reaction,
"What trash!" and into the wastebasket or the fire. That latter decision
may

later

been

really

be regretted, but most

artists

seldom

really regret;

good, they have been remarkably fecund.

if

they have

lot of things

have "boiled the pot" and yet some aspect of social history

may

may

cling

to them; others are purely historical people, places, houses, views, situations,
ies

and

Of

and events that vanished long ago, and hence have value to
societies, as indubitable

documentation.

the creative work, what goes to the

something achieved

at a greater

And

finally realized.

librar-

moment

there arc the great

fire

is

usually "a sketch" for

at a later

time the

latent

image

moments some mechanical

fail-

ure or pure accident prevented from being fine negatives. These are the

hardest to throw out, because of their potentials,

way

to solve the

problems involved. Most

artists

if

you could find the

have had "burnings"

cleansings, resurrections but .Adams has not, unless the negatives were
really hopeless.
ite

Of

course he did suffer

darkroom somebod\-

many

negatives,

left

a real fire, in

iq?8, in

the old dr\'mounting press

hisYosem-

on he

lost

and so had to spend some time thereafter trying to

place the irreplaceable, because nothing ever happens exactl\- the

re-

same

as

bctorc. Snll,

number

,i

oi cavW nco.uivcs did siir\ivc, thanks moscK' ro

Edward and Chans Weston, on

dut\-, that

night oi

beside the bath-

fire,

tub, kill ot crnme and soot\- negatives, helping wash, rinse,

to dr\' the results of
rarely seen,

Hheen

and hang up

with the camera. So here, some

\-ears" ellort

some unknown, and some

familiar, are ten prints

rangmg

throui^h nearK thirt\' Nxars of

Adams' work. The ijamut of mood and

emotion

fair\-tale,

is

dark-wood
with

]et

the

ijreater:

still

ik\uit\-and-the-Beast-in-the-

of Cradnaticii Drca- the exciuisite luminosit\- threaded

e]ualit\'

branches in Fresh Suow; the nostalcjic clutch

architectural splendor, flims\' as a stacje set, so

olumbia,

like C

early

mornina

touristed,

man's

II

up
as

in sjhost

and briefness compared to

littleness

Edward

]Veston, little as

eucalyptus on whose roots he

town

fairl\-;

this earth he inhabits in

he

is,

And

sits.

is

bigger than the enor-

Cottardo Pw^.-on(,

8x10

certainh- his

in natural

major

work with and

more of

the

He

studio light.

"

too long and too un-

Yosemite

it-

have been spectacular, but they

time the public had

chance to

immense scope of his work, and we think he

is

right.

As with previous

thinks

portfolios,

is

it

some of

the photographs ma\' be contro-

-not the expected Adams. Some ma\'

ventional grace; others will welce^me

on Adams and

climbing

photographed

for the Sierra Club, for

tights for conser\-ation

have pigeonholed him.

versial,

camera

thinks he has been t\ped as "nature boy

self and his

see

of

of Sdvertoiu not yet

to his scaffolding to begin work, was nor posed, but was

Adams

towns

between the enormous peaks, and the sudden meditation on

he was with an

all

common

remembered

Post and Spandrel, seen in the pale clear light

hitc

after ram: the stiH little mininii

Antelope House. Yet

mous

at

his reactions to

his prints, since he

can

make now

the

most beautiful

was

man,

in his teens,

\'et

made

fall

from con-

newly-revealed perspective

his works,

surpass anything he has

prints

as a

it

regret this

and nature. And, though

have been beautiful, the prints he

done

in the

in the past.

medium

Perhaps they are

of photography.

Beaumont and

Isiancx

Newhall

PORTFOLIO

EDWARD WESTON
Cariwel Highlands, Califcrnui, l()^j

VI

ANTELOPE HOUSE RUIN

Canwn

de Cbelly Xatioiial Mciiuinent. An^ctui.

ig^l

4-

MAROON

BELLS

near Aspen, Colorado, /gy/

SILVERTON
Colorado, igji

6.

GRADUATION DRESS
Yoseniite

California,

alley,

IQ^8

STILL LIFE
San Francisco,

c.

ig^i

7-

8.

WHITE POST AND

ALDERS

SPANDREL

Prairie Creek Beach, Northern California,

c.

Columbia, California, /gjj

lo.

GOTTARDO PIAZZONI
FRESH
Yoseniile

alley,

SNOW

California,

c.

IN HIS STUDIO
/947

San Francisco,

c.

tgji

/949

PORTFOLIO VI

Portfolio

VI

There

The

has been produced in

are lOO copies

numbered

limited edition of
i

made on Bro\

developed in Dektol and toned

Ansel

Adams

Schoellers Parole >-plv

states that, to his best

never appeared as

fine prints; that

that

knowledge and
Nos.

6,

1,

in

rights reserved.

No

prints and

through

J.

paper Agfa-Gevaert\

ira

Selenium.

belief, photoj^raphs

7 and 9 have been

Nos.

in

2,

?,

and S have

rarelv printed in an\'

VI have been made

have been reproduced

VI comprises unique

are for sale.

Drawing Board, imported bv Flax of San Francisco.

these in Portfolio

Some of the photographs

AH

of which loo

Nos. 4 and 10 have been printed sparingK- over the

No prints of the quality of

Portfolio

copies,

through loo and lo copies lettered

enlargements, bv Ansel Adams, are

They are mounted on

no

\ears.

of any of the photographs.

books and journals over many

no further prints

will

form:

vears.

be made from these negatives.

print herein can be reproduced in any

form without

the e.xpress permission of the photographer and the publisher.

This includes

slides

and microfiche.

Design of the introductory text pages by Adrian Wilson of San Francisco.

Composition

in

Centaur and Arnghi types by Mackenzie

&

Harris, Inc., San Francisco.

Photolithography of the text pages by George Waters, San Francisco.

Portfolio cases

b\-

Breu

er

&

Cantclmo,

New

York.

wish to express warmest appreciation to Ted Or^an, Phvllis Donohue and James Taylor
for their m\aluable assistance in the production

of Portfolio VI.

VI

Plate

VI

Plate 2

VI

Plate

VI

Plate 4

VI

Plate

VI

Plate 6

VI

Plate 7

VI

Plate 8

\
^

VI

Plate 9

- ^'^

->>.>

f>

*>*

mr

#'

1//

^^' H

S
m

KW'

amti

VI

Plate 10

ANSEL ADAMS
PORTFOLIO

PARASOL PRESS, LTD,

NEW YORK
1976

VII

PORTFOLIO

DciiicatCii to

David Hunter McAli '//;

VII

FOREWORD

This

portttilioiit orii^mal pi'ints represents a

phoioi^r.iphx'.

p.irri.il \ist.i

o{ ni\' lite

think of them as euiiiwilentsof expression to borrow

Alfred Stiei^htz explicit term.

hope

that m\'

work

encourage

will

selt-expression in others and stimtilate the search for beaiit\' and

crearne excitement

To

repeat

in the i^reat

statement

world around

iis.

have freoiienrK' made: the neaarne

rable to the composer's score and the print to

performance

differs in subtle wa\'S.

When

now

of "Boards and Thistles, "

made o\er

excitement of the creatu'e

e\'ent are sharpl\- revu'ed.

sents the threshold of

\u\'

fort\- \'ears a^jo,

experience in the clear,

photoaraph\-; the essence of theCjrtnip

oriii^inal

creatne impact

ar the neo;ative

the

wonder and

This imai^e represtraii^ht \ision

64 approach.

not onl\' retained

is

compa-

performance. Each

its

look

is

btir also

of

hiipe that the

expanded

b\ the

perceptions and techniques acquired o\ er the inter\ ening \ears.

Dedicatiiii^ this portfolio to

opportiinir\ to
photiii;raph\-.

p,i\-

0\er

around excursions,
response stimulated

Da\id Htinter McAlpin anes me the

homao;e to

a c^reat

at least fort\- \ears

\isits,
l^\'

at

the

Musetim

mutual

of

true benefactor of

our friendship has re\ol\ed

exchanv^e oi ideas, projecrs and the

interests in creative work.

support made possible the form.ition

raph\

friend and

Modern Art

ol the
in

warm

His timeh'

Department of Photog-

New ^ork and

the Histor\- of Photoorraph\' at I^'inceton Unnersitw

the Cdiair of

Generous do-

nations from his fine collection of photOi^raphs ha\e benefited man\'

organizarums.

examples

ol

,im

proud

work from

New ^ork ( at\'

in iq^^b.

luv
1

that ann->ng his carl\' acquisitions were

first

hnd

it

exhibition, at

An American

imagine how photography

ditlicult :o

might ha\e de\eKiped or w hat directions m\' own w

taken

h.id

it

Place in

cirk

would have

not been for the vitality of efKirt and understanding he

contributed to the medium.

am both pleased and honored

centur\-

iiriainal

medium

Polaroid Land print

vo\'age into the futtire.

nication, new

of expression and

New aspects of seeing, new

qualities of

image and new

if

cannot examine them

half

ever-

communication.

means

of

me a

ciimmu-

le\cls of subjective

and

While ha\e alwa\s wcM'ked with

I

con\entional means and techniques,

which,

its

this pitrttolio represents for

intellectual ct^mprehension he ahead.

fairb'

more than

the w orld of photo^raph\-, and to ha\e observed

expandin^^ potential as

The

to ha\e w orked throui^h

m m\'

anticipate

lifetime, w

ill

new departures

assure the

of future \ision and accomplishment.

Ai}scl

Adams

Caruicl

May, igjb

power

PORTFOLIO

VII

I.

WHTFE BRANCHES

Mono

lake, Californm,igjo

2.

ARCHES. NORTH COURT

Mission Sm,

Xavur

del

Bm, Tucson, Arizona, ig68

3-

BOARDS AND THISTLES

5^//

Frannsco,Cal,Jornm,igjz

4-

TREE,

STUMP AND MIST

Northern GiscaJes, Uashnigton, igj8

5-

GERRY SHARPE

Ouray, Colorado, igj8

6.

ASPENS

Northern

New

Mexico, igj8

7-

INTERIOR OF TUMACACORI MISSION

Arij:pna, ca. ig^z

8.

CEMETERY STATUE AND

OIL DERRICKS

long Beach, Califorma,igjg

9-

HALF DOME, BLOWING

SNOW

Yosemite \'ationat Park. California, ca.igjj

lo.

EL CAPITAN. SUNRISE. WINTER

Yoscmite National Park,Cal,forn,a,ca.ig68

II.

SUNRISE.

MOUNT TOM

Sierra Nevada, California,ca.ig^8

12.

ORIGINAL POLAROID TYPE 52/POLAPAN LAND PHOTOGRAPH

PORTFOLIO

Portfolio \

There

No
I

The

are

tod edition ot 11s copies, ot

thiousjh 100 and

made

b\

is

made from

Anscl

papers, developed in

Adams on Agfa-Gevaert
Dektol and toned

Land photograph was made onT\pe

camera.

The

title is

separate sheet herewith discusses elements

All rights reserved.

in

Bro\

ira

and

Selenium.

No

52

of San Francisco.

PolaPan Land Film directlv

on the verso of the mount.

of care and presentation of

prints herein can be reproduced in an\-

the prints in the portfolio.

form without

the express permission of the photographer and the publisher.

This includes

slides

and microfiche.

Design of the introductor\- text pages bv .Adrian Wilson of San Francisco.

Composition

in

Centaur and Arrighi tvpes

b\'

Mackenzie-Harris Corp.. San Francisco.

Photolitho^raphv of the text pages by George Waters. San Francisco.

Portfolio cases bv Breer

&

Cantelmo,

wish to express thanks and appreciation to Alan Ross,

Jim Taylor, Andrea and

for their invaluable

sale.

through O.

the negatives.

the Rising Paper Compan\-, distributed bv Flax's

original Polaroid

100 are for

viliicli

copies lettered

mounted on Lenox Museum 4-pK Mounting Board

in the

1111

1 1

further prints will be

Kodabromide

Thev

.1

numherej

he enlargements were

made bv

boi-n piodiicoci

II h.ts

are 100 copies

VII

Bill

New

Norman

York.

Locks. Phyllis

Donohu

Turnage and Bob Fcldman

encouragement and assistance

in the

production of Portfolio X'lL

VII

Plate

VII

Plate 2

VII

Plate

T.

VII

Plate

VII

Plate

VII

Plate 6

VII

Plate 7

VII

Plate 8

VII

Plate 9

VII

Plate 10

VII

Plate

Vll

Plate 12

LIST OF

PORTFOLIO

I.

THE PRINTS

ig4S

8.

Afternoon sun. Crater Lake National Park.

Oregon. 1943
1.

2.
3.

Mount McKmlcy,

Alaska, 1948

9.

Saguaro cactus, sunrise, Arizona, 1946

Rapids below Vernal Fall, Yosemite Valley,

10.

California, 194S

5.

Mormon Temple. Manti. Utah, i94cS

Vine and rock. Island ot Hawaii, T.H., 194S

6.

Retiigio Beach, California,

7.

The White Church, Hornitos.

4.

i94('>

8.

snow storm, Yosemite

tree,

10. Trailside,
1

12.

3.

4.

6.

7.

National Park. Maine, 1949

forest. Great

Yosemite Valley

Noon

9 so

&

Smoky

New-

California, 1946

II,

1.

2.

Moiiuincuts

clouds. Glacier National Park,

3.

Montana, 1942
Forest, early morning. Mount Rainier
National Park, Washington, 1949
Dunes, hazy sun. White Sands National
Monument, New Mexico, 1941
White House Rum, morning. Canyon de

4.
5.

6.
7.
8.
9.

III,

ig6o

Monolith, the face of Half

Merced River,

cliffs

Dome,

autumn, 1939
Lower Yosemite Fall, ca. 1946
Trees and snow, 1933
Branches in snow. ca. 1932
El Capitan. sunrise. 1956

Tcnaya Creek, spring rain.

Water and foam. ca. I9_SS

ca.

Park, Washington, 1948

12.

Nevada

13.

Rushing water. Merced River,

Moth and stump, Interglacial Forest. Glacier

Bay National Monument, Alaska, 1949
Yosemite

National Park. C^alitornia. 1944

I.

1948

Winter storm. 1944

Dogwood blossoms, 1938
Grass and pool, ca. 193s

10.
I

1927

of Cathedral Rocks,

Monument, Arizona, 1949

From Hurricane Hill, Olympic National

Sentinel Rock, winter dusk.

1942

Mountains National Park, Tennessee. 1948

Chelly National
5.

Dawn, autumn

PORTFOLIO

Tlie Satioiiiil Parks

2.

Place,

Zabnskie Point. Death Valley National

York, 1938
Clouds above Golden Canyon, Death Valley,

PORTFOLIO

1.

An American

Bay National

Mtmument, Alaska, 1949

Dead tree. Sunset Crater National
Monument, Arizona. 1947

15.

Valley,

near Juneau, Alaska, 1948

Alfred Stieglitz,

Rain, Beartrack Cove, Glacier

14.

Roots, Foster Gardens, Honolulu, T.H.,

Oak

Joshua Tree National Monument.

Monument, California, 1942

Old Faithful Geyser, late evening,
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming,
The Atlantic, Schoodic Point, Acadia

13.

California, 1948

I.

12.

1948
9.

California,

1946

In

California, 1942

Fall.

rainbov\

14. Bridalveil Fall. ca.

IS-

Trees and

](i.

Half

cliffs,

ca.

1947
ca.

1955

1952

1954

Dome, thunder

cloud, ca. 1956

PORTFOLIO

IV. 1963

10.

Pipes and gauges. West Virginia. i<;39

Uluu Majestic Word

1.

Teklanika River,

Mount McKinley

National

PORTFOLIO

VI.

974

Park. Alaska. 1947

2.

Sequoia roots, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite

National Park, California,

3.

Leaf, Glacier

ca.

1.

Bay TSIational Monument,

2.

Alaska, 1948
4.
5.

6.

4.

Park. California, ca. i960

5.

ca.
7.

Fall,

3.

Yosemite Valley, California,

1948

tree.

11.

ca.

7.

Sunset City, Sierra Foothills,

8.

1932

California. 1953

Alders. Prairie Creek Beach. Northern

California, ca. 1949

Summit Road above

Saratoga,

9.

Fresh snow. Yc-)semite Valley. California,

ca.

Northern California coast redwoods,

10.

i960

1947

Gottardo Piazzoni

in his studio.

San

Francisco. California, ca. 1932

Orchard, early spring, near Stanford

University, California,

12.

San Francisco. California,

Still life.

Castle Rock,

ca.

SiKerton. Colorado. 1951

Graduation dress. Yosemite Valley,

White post and spandrel. Columbia.

Sonoma County

California. 1963
10.

1942

near Aspen, Colorado, 1951

California. 1948

California, 1962
9.

bells,

Hills.

Clearing storm.

Oak

Maroon

Monument, Arizona.

6.

California. 1951
8.

Antelope House Ruin. Canyon de Chelly

National

Dunes, Oceano, California, 1963

Cathedral Peak and Lake, Yosemite National
Vernal

Edward Weston. Carmcl Highlands,

California, 1945

1950

ca.

1940

Yosemite National Park,

Siesta Lake,

PORTFOLIO

VII. 1976

California, ca. 1958

13.

Storm
ca.

14.

surf.

Timber Cove.

California,

1.

i960

Nevada, winter evening, from the

Arches, north court. Mission San Xavier del

3.

Bac. Tucson. Arizona. 1968

Boards and thistles. San Francisco,
California, 1932

Valley. California. 1962

6.

stump and mist. Northern Cascades.

Washington. 1958
Gerry Sharpe. Ouray, Colorado, 1958
Aspens. Northern New Mexico. 1958

7.

Interior

4.

PORTFOLIO

V. igyo
5.

1.

Pinnacles.

Alabama

Owens

Hills.

Valley.

California. 1945
2.

Mudhills. Arizona. 1947

3.

Lone Pine Peak.

ca.

Sierra

Moon

5.

Forest and stream. Northern California, 1959

7.

and clouds, Northern California. 1959

Petroglyphs.

Valley. Utah. 1958

The Black Sun. Tungsten

Hills,

8.

Woman

9.

White stump,
ca.

1936

Sierra

9.

statute

and

oil derricks.

National Park, California,

ca.

10.

El Capitan. sunrise, winter.

11.

Sunrise.

National Park. California,

Mount Tom.

ca.

Sierra

1955

Yosemite
1968

Nevada,

California, ca. 1948

12.

Nevada. California,

Long

Beach, California, 1939

Half Dome, blowing snow. Yosemite

behind screen door. Independence,

California, ca. 1944

1952

Cemetery

Owens

Valley, California, 1939

of Tumacacori Mission, Arizona,

8.

i960

Monument

Tree,

ca.

Nevada. California.

4.

6.

Lake, California,

2.

Park, California, 1941

Owens

Mono

1950

Tut^lumne Meadows. Yosemite National

15. Sierra

White branches.

Type 52 Land
Photograph (Newel Post, Canterbury, New
Hampshire, 1975)
Original Polaroid PolaPan

$25.00

FPT

Ansel Adams, 1976; photograph

by

Arnold

Newman

713953

ISBN D-fl212-1122-b
00002450