Edward Weston..Color print of 2 Nautilus Shells

[David Dodge]

I have seen a print made by Edward Weston of 2 Nautilus Shells on a bed of Colored pebbles size about 13 X 15..I have not been able to find another print..Can you tell me if there any for sale ? and what is a fair price to pay ? and where to find them ?

I do not think Edward did much in the way of color work (s ), so pricing information would be very important..

Thank you for your help.

Dave D

[Bill_1856]

Edward Weston did make such a picture, but I don't believe that he ever made a print of it himself. What you are seeing is more likely to be a lithograph. Worth, perhaps, $2.00.

[Jerry Flynn]

Edward Weston was commissioned to make some color photographs by Eastman Kodak in the late 1940's. They sent him a supply of 8X10 Kodachrome and promised to buy any photographs that they found interesting.

A few were published in a book - the title escapes me now, and I'm not at home to look it up - but it was a monograph published in the 1980's. The image you describe was in that book. I believe there was an accompanying show.

Since the images were all transparencies in 8X10, the print you mention seems not to be original. Even if Cole Weston had made a dye transfer or something, I think he would have retained the original 8X10 dimensions.

Edward Westion did no color printing taht I ever heard of. Therefore, this would seem to be a reproduction of some sort and not worth much. (Perhaps from a poster promoting the book I mentioned or an exhibit?)

[Merg Ross]

The color prints of Edward Weston which accompanied the exhibition of his color work were contact printed from 8x10 transparencies using the Cibachrome process. The prints were made in Tucson from transparencies held by the Center for Creative Photography. CCP produced a catalog to accompany the exhibition of 32 prints. The image to which you refer is on the cover of the catalog and has been reproduced elsewhere.

[CP Goerz]

Ansel was the one who got the Kodachrome while Eddy got the early Ektachrome, needless to say the Kodachrome held up over time while the Ektachrome fell apart and has really nasty colour shift. I found (with one or two exceptions) that EW's colour stuff wasn't nearly as strong as his B+W and was kinda 'postcardy'.

CP Goerz

[David Dodge]

The Color 2 - Nautilus Print I saw was at Cole Weston's studio in Carmel, about 10 plus years ago..He said it was printed by Kodak ( Dye-transfer ) process for his Dad from his Dad's transparency ..Print size was about 13 x 15..This was the only print I have seen at this size >>

If I could find another print like Cole's do you have any idea as to a fair price ?

[Bill_1856]

Dye Transfer by Cole from Edwards original = $1000-1500.

[Merg Ross]

David,

It may be that the print you saw at Cole's place was one made by Kodak (dye transfer) for an exhibition of EW's color at MOMA in about 1950. If so, perhaps it is one of a kind. Since the CCP in Tucson has the Edward Weston archive, that might be a good place to address your question. Kodak provided EW with both Ektachrome and Kodachrome; the print to which you refer was done on Kodachrome.

[Steve Brown]

Edward Weston received a letter from Dr. George L Waters from the advertising department of Kodak on August 16, 1946. Waters wanted to know if Edward would be interested in making 8x10 Kodachromes of Point Lobos. EW agreed and was sent both Kodachrome and Ektachrome film along with an Ektar lens. Edward was to be paid $250.00 for each transparency accepted. Edward sent 13 transparencies that "met his standard" and 7 were accepted. He was thus paid $1750.00. That was the largest single order of his career and almost equaling in one order to his Guggenheim Fellowship stipend. Kodak used Edward's work in several advertising layouts. Edward's color work also graced the cover of the 1950 February/March issue of American Photography. The vast majority of Edward's color work was done while he was filming "The Photographer" with Willard Van Dyke.
A good selection of Edward's color work is included in the exhibition: Edward Weston: A Photographer's Love of Life. This exhibition originated at the Dayton Art Institute earlier this year. It is currently traveling the country. One color print of a cypress tree was printed mural size while the remaider were 8x10 transparency copies displayed on light boxes. This was only the second time in more than 50 years that Edward's color work was exhibited. Since Edward never printed any of the color work, I would think the value of them would be far below the value of both vintage EW black & white prints as well as EW/CW black &white work printed by Cole Weston after his dad's death.