February 3 - May 6, 2007
On September 11, 1938, Ansel Adams, Georgia O'Keeffe and their friends David McAlpin and the Godfrey Rockefellers began a 10-day trip through Yosemite. Adams, already well known for his photography of the California wilderness, recorded this trip with his camera, focusing his lens not only on the majesty of the landscape but also on his close friends. When he returned to his studio, he crafted three photographic albums with personal notes and captions, then gave them to his fellow-travelers. Within them were early prints of what became his most famous images, including Glacier Point and Cathedral Peak, as well as more personal portraits and nature studies. Thanks to the McAlpin family's donation of one of these albums to the National Museum of Wildlife Art, these intense and beautiful images can be enjoyed by the Crocker's public as well.
Whether landscapes such as Half Dome and Echo Ridge or portraiture of Georgia O'Keeffe and the Rockefellers, the protagonists in these photographs are revealed in their many facets – the vitality of nature and of friendship, candid moments at camp and in the wild. Adams' highly personal vision and working method, aspects often unseen in his public work, pervade the album pages that make up this exhibition. Spectacular, little-known views of Yosemite compete with campside portraits, providing a new understanding of Ansel Adams' production—and his life.
This exhibition was organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
This exhibition is made possible through a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Les Lederer.