Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984), one of the most famous American photographers, an environmentalist and the developer of the Zone System had been just exhibited here in New York. Well, a couple of years back.
What we can now see through his lens, like in his well known photographs from the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, taken in the 1930s, continues to be a milestone in American photography.
This is an amazing find, thank you to Rick Norsigian for being persistent in his quest to preserve this treasure for the world.
Ten years ago in California, Rick Norsigian purchased two small boxes containing 65 glass negatives for $45. Today those glass negatives are being identified as belonging to famous nature photographer Ansel Adams, and are valued at $200 million.
CNN.com reports that the negatives are dated back to a 1937 darkroom fire that destroyed 5,000 of Adam’s plates. David W. Streets, an art dealer and appraiser believes that the photos were taken between 1919 and 1930s, before Adams became well known.