Ansel Adams Gallery controversy--re-used old calendar pages?

[Darin Boville]

You may have already seen this....

Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite selling matted calendar pages of Ansel images (without being all that clear to the customer that they are getting a page from an old calendar).

http://petapixel.com/2014/10/07/print-scam-meets-eye-ansel-adams-gallery/

--Darin

[Doremus Scudder]

Disappointing.

[Heroique]

"Recycled product" on the bar code label.

Pretty sneaky.

But good for the environment!

[DannL]

The buyer was not deceived. He failed on several fronts. He directed his questions to a store clerk. He did not inspect the product. He does not understand what the term "Reproduction" means. He bought the goods regardless. Then he blames others for his own ignorance and failings. Isn't that just like some people.

[rdenney]

The buyer was not deceived. He failed on several fronts. He directed his questions to a store clerk. He did not inspect the product. He does not understand what the term "Reproduction" means. He bought the goods regardless. Then he blames others for his own ignorance and failings. Isn't that just like some people.

Agreed. It said "Reproduction" on it. The people behind the counter are not experts, and the kid he talked to apparently suffered from Male Answer Syndrome, and guessed at an answer instead of asking the manager. Sure, the kid should have said, "These are reproductions. The $400 prints are Special Edition darkroom prints made by Alan Ross, Adams's former assistant, in a program started by Adams back in the day to make darkroom prints of some of his negatives more affordable. Prints made by Adams himself are the Signed Prints over there and they sell in the four and five figures." As I recall (though it's been a long time), this was printed on brochures near where the Special Edition prints were displayed, and it's described on the AA Gallery web page.

The guy is making this out to be some big scam, when it was really just a summer sales kid who didn't get the memo.

Lately, I've been scratching a long-standing itch to collect wristwatches, and with those, fakery abounds. There will always be a question, "Is this Rolex a fake?" applied to a never-worn watch they bought for $195 (the real ones sell in the upper four figures), and they want to know if it's a fake. Well, duh. Could anyone believe that a print that costs $22 is anything but a reproduction?

Any thinking person would be far more careful about the Special Edition prints than the reproductions. The Special Edition prints are the ones needing an explanation with prices too good to be true.

I have a bunch of old AA calendars. They are printed as carefully as the AA books and posters--all are printed in duotone and are first-class reproductions. I keep the old calendars because of that. None have faded or yellowed--they are as good as the posters and books, even if they do have a calendar printed on the back of them. If matted, the $22 price is not unreasonable. I wouldn't have chosen one with a bug on it, though.

Rick "who prefers to know more than store clerks" Denney

[Peter Collins]

What's that phrase? Maybe 2,000 years old?? Oh, yeah: Caveat emptor. Been there myself, I know how it feels.

[Vaughn]

Personally, I doubt the whole story. AFAIK, the AA Gallery has never sold calender pages, period.

Edit -- well, I guess this proves again that I can be wrong. I have been represented by the AA Gallery for about 20 years or so and I have never seen these in the gallery.

[Colin Graham]

Not sure if this was added after the dustup, but this is from the AA Gallery website (http://shop.anseladams.com/category_s/35.htm), under matter reproductions:


This beautiful print is an authorized reproduction of the classic Ansel Adams photograph. The mounting, overmatting, and framing makes for a classic presentation.100% Made in America using the Ansel Adams Authorized Edition Wall Calendar.

Authorized reproduction
Offset printing on #80 cover stock paper
Mounted and double-matted with non-archival mat board
Image size approximately 10"x13”, finish size 16”x20”
Three framing options available; contrast gray or matte black recommended
Please allow 2-3 business days for framing.

That said, the print in the article was 6 dollars, matted. The shipping was almost twice as expensive as the matted print.

[BarryS]

He spent $6 on a matted reproduction and feels the need to broadcast his outrage to the world? He saw the business-end of the print before he bought it and it was six freakin' dollars. What is wrong with people?

[vinny]

Someone needs to stop that man from reproducing. More people like this wouldn't be a good thing.

[Drew Wiley]

I remember when ten real AA silver prints sold for $40 for a set of TEN of them in Yosemite. They were small prints made by assistants under his supervision, and
forty bucks was a lot more real money than it represents today, but still... Taking pages out of books and matting and framing them is nothing new, if that is the
case here at all. But somebody whining for six bucks???? You probably pay that for a silly can of soda in Yosemite.

[Sal Santamaura]

...What is wrong with people?It would overwhelm the forum's bandwidth and storage to attempt an exhaustive answer here. :D:D

[William Whitaker]

In the early '80's when Yosemite and the Range of Light came out, the Harvard Coop was doing the same thing, slicing and dicing copies of the book, then mounting and framing the "prints" in a nice 16x20 Nielsen metal section frame. 25 bucks and... instant Ansel. The idea seemed abhorrent, but I admit, I bought more than one of those prints knowing full-well what it was. I figured it wasn't a bad price for a nice Nielsen frame. In fact, I still have a couple of those frames hanging around. (But the contents have been changed out for real photographs, albeit by lesser entities.)

But it does seem tacky, to say the least, when the Ansel Adams Gallery itself, sells less than a purebred product, whether or not deceit was involved. In a world where so many strive to be "Ansel-like", it doesn't seem very "Ansel-like". WWAD?

But it could be worse. It could have involved a coffee can!

[Jac@stafford.net]

Wouldn't a loupe show have shown a half-tone pattern in the print?
.

[Drew Wiley]

Wouldn't a working brain with a bit of common sense tell you that you don't get something for nothing?

[Drew Wiley]

Will - I kept my copy of that book intact, the way it was meant to be. But honestly, the Best Studios gallery, regardless of its present reincarnation, was always associated with ceramic chipmunks and shellacked pine cones (the latter being the brain-child of AA himself, according to his own admission), more than images,
which when sold were primarily postcards and posters and such anyway. Natl Parky curios, just like everywhere.

[analoguey]

Read it twice and the chap was angry at the calendar bit, not expecting a full print - as I understood it.
And he was outraged that the Ansel Adams gallery would reframe a calendar and not be open about it - even more so being nonchalant about it.

Imho, he could've thought it to be Ansel's limited edition print for all I care, but, I would've thought the AA gallery would pay more attention to how they represent the man and his work - even more so if(?) it's family administered.

[TXFZ1]

Hello, my name is David and I too save all my Ansel Adams calendars.

[Darin Boville]

My view is that it is sleazy and indicative of how far the Ansel people have fallen.

Reframing a calendar page without making it clear to the buyer is bad enough but the print the guy in the story bought was damaged--that's why it was so cheap. The web page lists these at $125 framed. The calendar is $16 for twelve months. If they are going to do this at least have the balls to label the product clearly.

The real issue is that the people who control Ansel's legacy seem increasingly interested only in the money. Ansel has been almost totally corporatized by now. Just look at the line-up of Ansel prints available at the Yosemite gallery:

Original Ansel Adams prints

Modern Replicas (inkjet prints from scanned original prints, $129 for an matted 8x10, $279 for matted 16x20 and up)

Special Edition Prints (Silver Gel prints by Alan Ross, $295)

Posters ($20-30)

8x10 matted Reproductions (8x10 frame size, I believe these to be matted postcards, $65 matted and framed, $1 for postcard in the rack by the window)

11x14 matted Reproductions (“”Printed by Little Brown”, $90)

16x20 matted reproductions (framed sheets from old Ansel Adams calendars, $125)

And for fun just look at the b.s. on their "Modern Replicas" page: http://www.anseladams.com/mounted-and-matted-using-archival-materials-2/

I believe these are produced at a frame wholesaler's shop in South San Francisco. I was standing there once when they brought out a batch and there was an Ansel Adams Gallery guy giving them a quick once over. The prints looked terrible.

And then look at the lame books they keep putting out-with the same inside group as author, with the same pictures and same stories, again and again, polishing the statue.

What a shame.

--Darin

[Vaughn]

Hello, my name is David and I too save all my Ansel Adams calendars.

I have a big stack of them...I guess I should not consider them as part of my retirement plan...

[DannL]

Agreed. It said "Reproduction" on it. The people behind the counter are not experts, and the kid he talked to apparently suffered from Male Answer Syndrome, and guessed at an answer instead of asking the manager. Sure, the kid should have said, "These are reproductions. The $400 prints are Special Edition darkroom prints made by Alan Ross, Adams's former assistant, in a program started by Adams back in the day to make darkroom prints of some of his negatives more affordable. Prints made by Adams himself are the Signed Prints over there and they sell in the four and five figures." As I recall (though it's been a long time), this was printed on brochures near where the Special Edition prints were displayed, and it's described on the AA Gallery web page.

The guy is making this out to be some big scam, when it was really just a summer sales kid who didn't get the memo.

Lately, I've been scratching a long-standing itch to collect wristwatches, and with those, fakery abounds. There will always be a question, "Is this Rolex a fake?" applied to a never-worn watch they bought for $195 (the real ones sell in the upper four figures), and they want to know if it's a fake. Well, duh. Could anyone believe that a print that costs $22 is anything but a reproduction?

Any thinking person would be far more careful about the Special Edition prints than the reproductions. The Special Edition prints are the ones needing an explanation with prices too good to be true.

I have a bunch of old AA calendars. They are printed as carefully as the AA books and posters--all are printed in duotone and are first-class reproductions. I keep the old calendars because of that. None have faded or yellowed--they are as good as the posters and books, even if they do have a calendar printed on the back of them. If matted, the $22 price is not unreasonable. I wouldn't have chosen one with a bug on it, though.

Rick "who prefers to know more than store clerks" Denney

Definitely do it! Two years ago I found a watch for $2.99 that was an exact replica of a $12,000 wristwatch. I thought it might have a small issue only, and took it to a jeweler. They refused to touch it, and wouldn't tell me why. So, I learned how to open the back. I was so disappointed when I opened it upon seeing a battery and a Japan movement. Oh well. You live and you learn. But, I never gave up. And just a couple days later I found a gold filled 1952 Omega Automatic for $2.50. Beautiful, working, and original. An excellent timekeeper. It's been my only "wristwatch" up until yesterday, when I located a 1960's Bulova Automatic in lovely condition for $5.00. Now I have two "authentic" wristwatches. At this rate I'll have one for each day of the week, perty soon. Now, if I someday I decide to open this Bulova watch, and I find a battery inside, I'm going to be so stomping mad. But, I don't think I will open it. I know that awful feeling, oh too well. "Ignorance is bliss."

[Drew Wiley]

I don't know any pro frame shop around here that would charge less than $125 to put a dirty sock in a picture frame. I wouldn't. It wouldn't be worth my time. Keep the frame throw out the magazine page. Use it for something better.

[Robert Brummitt]

Some years back, I was collecting photogravures of various photographers on eBay. I came across a fellow who was selling Karsh portraits made in the sixties for a fair price. I bought some and when they arrived they were pages from a book that the seller sliced out. with Text on the backside of each page.

I returned the pages and asked my money back. The seller said he was selling gravures and I Guess he was. But not what I was collecting. I was looking for individual photos made on nice paper and maybe a limited number made. I have sets by Ruth Bernhard, Elliot Porter, Mathew Brady and collection by Friends of Photograhy. I Now am very aware of what some folks will sell.

[Drew Wiley]

AA is a marketing commodity. It's that simple. Make money on images, not necessarily prints. And I suspect most folks visiting Yosemite are just looking for a souvenir
to hang next to their black velvet Elvis rug back home. But a little more up-front labeling of what is what might amount to common courtesy. Otherwise, used bookstore have stacks and piles of old AA poster and such going for fifty cents apiece. A bug collector might pay more if the right kind of bug is pressed into one.

[richardman]

Much complaining about nothing, and I am not normally a curmudgeon :-)

[onnect17]

You may have already seen this....

Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite selling matted calendar pages of Ansel images (without being all that clear to the customer that they are getting a page from an old calendar).

http://petapixel.com/2014/10/07/print-scam-meets-eye-ansel-adams-gallery/

--Darin



Thanks Darin for the link. I also think the label is misleading, and amazed to see so many here in then forum are blaming the buyer. Not that I care about Ansel Adams work but the buyer seems to worship him and he was very disappointed with the business practices of who is supposed to be the official representation. I don't think the money he paid for it was the main issue. After all, I am sure he spent at least $2K to travel there. His expectations, regarding the printing quality, were already low so the insulting part is realizing that is just a page out of a calendar.

I would not be surprised to see the label (or description) "matte reproduction - recycled product" and found a calendar page after a transaction in eBay, a flea market or even a yard sale. Not in the official gallery. If they are misleading about this, god knows what else is going on in that gallery. I guess the saying "penny wise, pound foolish" has many meanings.

I remember a couple of years back my wife insisted to stop in Kutztown, PA. She is a fan of the area crafts. So here we are in the middle of a fair on a very hot day in July, when I spotted a lemonade stand. You could see one of the girls squeezing the fresh lemons. Thirsty!!! After a couple of minutes waiting in line we rushed to drink from the cup, just to realize it was made with artificial powder, not the fresh -only for show- lemons. Quickly I spit it out and discard the rest alerting some of the fellows in line. Still thirsty and now mad, not about the few bucks wasted but having been mislead. I looked at my wife and said "let's get the hell out here"!

I am sure asking if "recycled" means "calendars" or, in my case, if "fresh" means "powder" would not have been the expected questions at the time.

[Bill Burk]

I think recycling them is appropriate use of the old stock calendars. If it's truly a recycled calendar from a year when Ansel Adams personally authorized the press run, that's more than you can say of contemporary impressions.

Robert Brummitt, while you may have been disillusioned by your Karsh rotogravure, I'd be happy to have a page from Camera Work.

But I think it would help to include a slip of paper that tells upfront that the beautiful print you are holding is what it is...

[John Kasaian]

What's wrong with a matted calendar picture for $6?
The Ansel Adams calendar images are indeed quality enough to mat and frame and enjoy.

[MrFujicaman]

Big deal....I have 5 of the pages from AA's calendar's matted and framed on my walls and everybody loves them. If the guy thought he was getting a real silver print for $6, he's a total moron. By the time I got them matted and framed, I'd have $40 in each one.

I will say that looking at the prices from the gallery in Yosemite, I think they are crazy....come on, you can buy the whole calendar for $16-18 !

Oh, and if anyone sees a calendar with Brett Weston images-PM me !

[Rayt]

Nothing wrong with selling matted pages from calendars or whatever but be more clear about it that's all. Nevertheless expecting $6 for a silver print is absurd.