The Ansel Adams collection currently at auction with Sotheby’s was acquired direct from the family. What makes the collection rare is that they are early original photographs from the storied photographer collected directly from the family. The David H. Arrington Collection of Ansel Adams photographs is currently available for bid at Sotheby’s, and the rare photos will be live auctioned on February 17, 2022, in New York.

Ansel Adams is an American photographer who hopefully needs no introduction because his photography in the twentieth century are so widely recognized. David H. Arrington described Adams as someone every serious photographer eventually discovers. Known for intimate portraits of Yosemite Park, more than a quarter of the photographs featured in this auction were taken at this majestic landscape location. Ansel Adams is most known for these photographs of landscapes in the park setting in the early existence of National Parks.

These images were passed down from Adams to his wife Virginia and subsequently to his son and daughter-in-law before becoming part of the collection according to Sotheby’s.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. This means collectibles are attracting the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds. Many collectibles now cost thousands of dollars (or much more). Collectors with a passion to own a collectible for years frequently have to compete directly against investors whose only desire is to make a profit in the future.

Lot 26 (image below from Sotheby’s) of the collection is perhaps the big hit because of how personal this is to the photographer. It is an early print of Moonrise, from Hernandez, New Mexico that hung for decades in the Adams’ Yosemite home. The current bid for the photograph is $350,000.00 and the estimate is between $500,000.00 to $700,000.00. Printed circa 1943.

There are 100 lots of photos up for grabs. Here are some of the other storied lots featured at auction:

• Lot 80 of the collection is Aspens, Northern New Mexico (vertical) with a current bid of $180,000.00 and the estimate is $250,000.00 to $350,000.00.
• Lot 61 of the collection is Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Point, Winter, Yosemite National Park. The current bid is $50,000.00 and the estimate is $70,000.00 to $100,000.00.
• Lot 69 of the collection is Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico with a current bid of $42,000.00. The estimate is $60,000.00 to $90,000.00. Printed between 1950 and 1962.
• Lot 60 of the collection is ‘Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras’ with a current bid of $35,000.00. The estimate is $50,000.00 to $70,000.00.
• Lot 48 of the collection is ‘The Teton Range & the Snake River’ (The Grand Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming). The current bid is $75,000.00 and the estimate is $50,000.00 to $70,000.00.
• Lot 85 of the collection is Whaler’s Cove, Carmel Mission, California with a current bid of $28,000.00 and an estimate of $40,000.00 to $60,000.00.
• Lot 44 of the collection is Portfolio One with a current bid of $28,000.00 and has an estimate of $40,000.00 to $60,000.00. The portfolio according to Sotheby’s consists of:
• “12 gelatin silver prints, each mounted, signed in pencil on the mount, the portfolio stamp, sequential numbers and edition ‘2’ in red pencil on the reverse, all but one framed, 1938-48, printed in 1948; together with the letterpress title/colophon/plate list and introduction by Adams, editioned ‘2’ in red ink.”
• -Sotheby’s Auction Description
• Lot 51 of the collection is Donner Summit, Freight Train with a current bid of $28,000.00 and an estimate of $40,000.00 to $60,000.00.
• Lot 91 of the collection is ‘Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Arizona’ with a current bid of $28,000.00 and an estimate of $40,000.00 to $60,000.00.

Ansel Adams is a pioneer of photographing the American landscape. His photographs represent the rare documentation of American National Parks at an early age of existence. In 1941 the National Park Service commissioned him to create a photo mural for the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, DC. The photographer passed away in 1984, making this a rare opportunity to own an original print direct from the family. You could own Lot 26 which hung in his house for decades.