Moonrise, Hernandez NM USA by Ansel Adams
Toronto. I first saw a reproduction of this beautiful photograph by Adams in one of the Time-Life books I bought in 1970 (The Camera).
Today, Dalle Kaplan at Swann Auction Galleries announced a print of this shot sold for the astounding sum of $221,000 US in an auction four days ago. The print in question was donated by Adams to Edwin Land of Polaroid fame. Land in turn gave it to his friend and 1952 Nobel Prize winner Edward Purcell. It is the ONLY copy of this Adams photograph to ever be auctioned!
As digital makes its inroads devastating traditional silver based photography, we collectors are slowly shifting from cameras to images. Four decades ago I was astonished at a small silver based print selling for $5,000. Really old prints cased or otherwise went for a few dollars at most. Today as cameras fall in value, their product, prints, are quickly rising in value.
