The Photographs of Edward Weston

How significant is Edward Weston in the history of photography?

Weston’s work exemplifies photography’s artistic rupture with Pictorialism and its attempts  throughout the late 19^th century and into the early 20^th century to emulate other artistic mediums, particularly painting and drawing. Through Weston’s example, photography embraced the camera’s ability to document the real world in clear, detailed images that came to define the medium in the interwar period. Weston summarized his theory of photography when he stated, “I want the stark beauty that the lens can so exactly render presented without interference of artistic effect.” His clarity of vision is exemplified in works such as ‘California Desert’ (Wonderland of Rocks’ (1937).

After Weston received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1937, he was able to spend two years traveling, which resulted in nearly 1,400 negatives taken during his journeys. Works dating from this highly creative period include his rugged landscape taken at Point Lobos.

How did Edward Weston's style evolve?

Before he became known as a visionary photographer of the human figure, landscapes, and objects such as shells, rocks, and vegetables, Edward Weston (1886-1958) began his career as an itinerant portrait photographer. 

After moving to California from his native Chicago in 1906, he established his own photography studio in Tropico, California (now Glendale) in 1910. His early work reflects his initial interest in soft-focus Pictorialism, which he abandoned around 1920 as he grew into his mature style defined by highly detailed photographs that no longer aimed to capture a painterly aesthetic.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Weston largely worked in California, particularly around the Bay area, as well as in Mexico City. He made his most beloved photographs during these two decades, including his still-life images and his landscapes such as the sand dunes at Oceano. Edward Weston's nude studies often featured his love interests, including Margrethe Mather, Tina Modotti, and Charis Wilson.   

What is Edward Weston's most famous image?

Weston’s most famous photograph, Pepper No. 30 is from a body of work made in the late 1920s and early 1930s, in which each image captures a singular organic subject, such as a Nautilus shell, an eggplant, or a single cabbage leaf. Weston shot a close-up, focused view of each object after he carefully placed it against a stark background that provides no context of place or sense of spatial depth. This humble but muscular pepper is dramatically lighted so that areas of its smooth skin shine intensely, while other crevices remain cloaked in dramatic shadow.

Interpretations of Pepper No. 30 are wide-ranging: some viewers see intertwined human forms in its swells and valleys. Others consider it to be an abstract composition, reveling in its contours, tones, and  textures. Weston was often asked what the viewer should see in Pepper No. 30.

Perhaps he recorded his best response in his inscription on the back of a print: “As you like it – but this is just a pepper – nothing else – to the impure all things are impure."

What should one look for in an Edward Weston print?

When considering the purchase of an Edward Weston photograph, three aspects are key to understanding its overall value. First, the print date of an image largely determines its price point. In general, the closer the print date is to the negative date, the higher the price commanded by the work. A ‘vintage’ print of Pepper No. 30 could bring at auction a hundred times the price of a posthumous print from the same negative. Weston’s photographs are often categorized as ‘vintage’ or ‘early’, which means that the print was made within a few years of the negative.

‘Lifetime’ prints were executed more than a few years after the negative was taken;  for example, it was common for Weston to print an early 1920s negative in the late 1930s. Finally, posthumous prints of Weston’s images were masterfully printed by Cole Weston, the artist’s son, in the later 20^th century. These works are typically indicated on the reverse of the mount with Edward Weston’s facsimile signature stamp and Cole Weston’s signature in pencil.

The second aspect that determines value is subject matter.  Certain still-lifes, nudes, and landscapes are considered Weston’s  best images and typically sell for a premium. Lesser-known images are priced commensurately.

Finally, condition is key when determining the value of a Weston print. A work with wear, soiling, or damage will bring far less than a print in pristine condition. 

Certain physical elements of  Edward Weston prints should also be considered, including the specific photographic process, the overall presentation of the work, and the written style of the signature, title, date, and inscriptions. Weston produced many more gelatin silver prints than platinum prints. All things being equal, a platinum print is usually more valuable than a gelatin silver print. His photographs are typically trimmed to the image so that the photographic sheet does not have a margin edge. The trimmed photograph is usually mounted to a board or paper support. Finally, Weston signed his works in different ways at various points in his life, so the exact wording of the signature, its placement, and other annotations on the mount can help determine the print date and hence will  influence its value.

Why is it a good idea to buy Edward Weston photographs at auction?

Before an Edward Weston work can be offered at auction, it is thoroughly assessed by a Specialist for its print type, age, and overall condition. Detailed cataloging for each lot will clearly state the photographic process, its print date, its mount, and whether it is signed, titled, dated, or inscribed. The condition report provides an overall assessment of the physical object, typically expressed as Excellent / Very Good / Good / Fair / or  Poor.

The report should note any areas of original retouching applied at the time that the print was executed. It is quite typical to see retouching on Weston’s prints when viewed in raking light and is not necessarily a negative condition issue. The report will  also note any scratches, scuffs, edge chipping, soiling, warping, or discoloration. The condition of the mount should also be taken into consideration when assessing value. If a mount is particularly soiled, discoloured, or exhibits signs of foxing, these issues will affect the overall value.

To learn more about the works on offer or speak to a specialist about your collection, please reach out to kelly.sidley@bonhams.com

Browse the Spring Photographs Auction

25 March - 3 April | Online, New York