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ADAMS, ANSEL (1902-1984)
“Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park.” Silver
print, 11x8 inches (27.9x20.3 cm.), with Adams’ signature, in ink, on
mount recto, and with his Portfolio Three hand stamp with the print
number and set number, in red ink, on mount verso. 1927; printed 1959
[18,000/22,000]
From the Scheinbaum and Russek Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2003; to a
Private California Collector.
“Monolith has led a charmed life—It rests in my vault, still printable, and
represents a personally historic moment in my photographic career.” - Ansel
Adams,An Autobiography
Ansel Adams’ iconic photographs of Yosemite are inextricably linked with
American landscape photography, and Monolith, the Face of Half Dome,Yosemite
National Park is classically identifiable.The photographer was only 25 years old
in 1927 and a willowy 125 pounds.Adams hauled his Korona camera and 40
lbs. of photographic gear to his desired shooting spot, but through a combination
of errors and other pictures taken along the way, he only had two intact glass
plate negatives left with which to capture this important image.The first plate
resulted in moderate success, but for the second plate, Adams opted to use a red
filter in order to darken the sky and achieve more drama and contrast. Adams
held the shutter open a full 5 seconds to counterbalance the exposure reduction
facilitated by the red filter.Years later, reflecting on Monolith,Adams stated that,
“This was one of the most exciting moments of my photographic career.”
Interestingly, it was this very image that inspired Adams to articulate the theory
that eventually led to his famous Zone System.
The Eloquent Light, cover and 45; Seeing Straight, 44; Adams: A Biography,
107;Adams:The EarlyYears, 6 and 7; Morgan & Morgan, 8.
