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Lot #436
Ansel Adams

Outraged at the desecration of his beloved Yosemite—“I blew up like an Atom Bomb”

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Description

Outraged at the desecration of his beloved Yosemite—“I blew up like an Atom Bomb”

TLS signed “Ansel,” one page, 8 x 10.75, personal letterhead, July 15, 1958. In part: “The SINAR is a magnificent piece of equipment! Just what I need to boost the New Spirit!! I will come out about even when I dispose of a lot of stuff I have accumulated over the recent years…Today I am a bit ‘thin.’ I have a major battle Sunday in my one-man war with the National Park Service. They have done enormous and unnecessary damage to Tenaya Lake with the construction of the new road, and I blew up like an Atom Bomb via wires, etc. and they demanded a meeting…I went. I went. It was a tough day, but I won the first round…this should be an example of what NOT to do in the future…Thanks for the info on the type 57 packs…Am having a Graflex Back put on the 4x5 reducing back (for the 5x7 SINAR), built out sufficiently for the 4x5 Adapter…Better tell Rosy about this—I advise a 5x7 anyway, as there is less flare from the larger bellows. The 8x10 is VERY costly!…Send on prints for APERTURE when you can—I would like to see you represented in it SOON.” Adams also made a few red ballpoint corrections within the text. Double-matted and framed with a portrait of Adams to an overall size of 19.5 x 17. In fine condition, with the signature slightly faded. In addition to the great content about the technical aspects of his camera, Adams’s mention of the road at Tenaya Lake in Yosemite is especially interesting. Around this same time he had sent furious telegrams to several government agencies about the construction of the road, during which they had dynamited a path through strikingly beautiful glacially polished granite. As a member of the Sierra Club, Adams believed they had not done enough to protest the construction and resigned from the organization so as not to embarrass it with his public outcry. Although it was too late to rectify the damage to the area, Adams became even more actively involved in environmental and conservation causes. A wonderful letter combining two of Adams’s greatest passions—cameras and the beauty of nature. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Rare Manuscript, Document & Autograph
  • Dates: #443 - Ended December 10, 2014





This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
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