More Questions Than Ansels... Until Now
Experts are attempting to confirm that a garage sale find are valuable Ansel Adams originals.
By JONATHAN LLOYD and ALYCIA LANE
Updated 11:41 AM PST, Thu, Oct 29, 2009
The answers are right there in black and white.
Collector Rick Norsigian and a team of experts are attempting to confirm that glass negatives found at a Fresno garage sale are the works of Ansel Adams.
And for a number of reasons, they're already convinced.
The negatives are on 8.5"x6.5" dry plate glass, which is charactaristic of Adams' work. One of the shots is virtually identical -- down to the snow-capped mountains -- to another confirmed Ansel Adams photo. And perhaps most convincing to Norsigian and his team: the handwriting on the sleeves containing the negatives has been authenticated as that of Adams' wife.
Norsigian brought the box home about 10 years ago -- after a failed attempt to purchase a barber's chair -- because he thought the images looked nice. He'd negotiated the price down from $60 to $45.
The black-and-white images are of Yosemite, Carmel, Fisherman's Wharf and other places captured in many Adams pictures.
Not everyone is convinced. Yet.
Ansel Adam's grandson, Matthew Adams, told KMPH-TV: "Mr. Norsigian has been making these claims for a number of years and I have not seen convincing proof that they are Ansel's negatives. People have been photographing Yosemite since the late 1800s and that fact there are glass plate negatives of images of Yosemite does not therefore mean that they are Ansel's."
Norsigian and his attorney remain positive about these negatives. If the images are indeed confirmed as authentic, Norsigian hopes to see the photos go on tour so Ansel Adams fans nationwide can enjoy his accidental discovery.
First Published: Oct 28, 2009 11:40 AM PST
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