The San Francisco–born photographer Ansel Adams is celebrated for his majestic black-and-white photography that brought the deserts, mountains and forests of the American West to the public. His images, beloved for their raw beauty and the magic of their subjects, are known around the world and widely reproduced as calendars and posters.
A sickly child with little attraction to sports or games, Adams early on developed an avid interest in the natural surroundings of his San Francisco home, on the heights facing Golden Gate Park. This passion found a productive outlet in photography, which he discovered at 14, when his father gave him his first camera during a family trip to Yosemite National Park. He spent much of the ensuing decades capturing Yosemite’s vast and varied wonders.
Adams’s photographs were first published in 1921. Even these early efforts demonstrate his eye for composition and his sensitivity to tonal balance and textural contrast. In the mid-1920s, he began to play with soft focus, as in the dreamy 1927 Lyell Fork Meadows, which appears bathed in a hazy, nostalgic light. The 1948 Sunrise over Sand Dunes in Death Valley exemplifies Adams’s later experiments with stark contrasts in light and geometric framing, which transform the landscape into a near abstraction.
Find a collection of Ansel Adams photography today on 1stDibs.
Fern Spring, Dusk, Yosemite
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print with exemplary provenance is unsigned but bears several stamps from the artist's family on the back of the mount, including the authentication stamp of Adam...
Silver Gelatin
Mudhills, Arizona, 1947
By Ansel Adams
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Ansel Adams Mudhills, Arizona, 1947, Portfolio V Gelatin silver print, plate 2 from the portfolio "Portfolio V" Signed and marked 22/100 1970 Black and white photograph. Photograph size 15 x 19.5 inches. Dry mounted to board and matted 23 x 29 inches Titled on Back of photograph Ansel Adams was born on February 20, 1902, in San Francisco, California. Adams rose to prominence as a photographer of the American West, particularly Yosemite National Park, using his work to promote conservation of wilderness areas. ... He died in Monterey, California, on April 1945 Ansel Adams founds the first fine art photography department at the San Francisco Art Institute. Faculty include Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham, Minor White...
Silver Gelatin
Moth and Stump, Interglacial Forest, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin print is signed in pencil on the front of the mount, with image number "6" in the lower left corner. Portfolio Two stamp with print #6 and set #A in red c...
Silver Gelatin
Gravestone Detail
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print is initialed "AA" in felt-tip ink either by the artist or an unknown hand on the front of the mount. This print comes from the collection of the artist's da...
Silver Gelatin
East Vidette
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed (AE Adams), titled, printed on the front of print. Rare vintage parmelian print from 1927.
The Abode of Snow
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed with printed title on the front of the print. Very early parmelian print by Ansel Adams.
The Abode of Snow
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed with printed title on front of print. From 'Parmelian Prints of the High Sierra', limited edition of 100 copies. This is a parmelian print, warm in tone.
Silver Gelatin
Silverton, Colorado
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed and numbered on the front of the mount by Ansel Adams. Stamped and titled on the back of the mount. From Portolio VI-4; 55/110. Printed in 1974.
Silver Gelatin
Lyell Fork Meadows
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on the front of the print. Printed circa 1927.
White Stumps, Sierra Nevada, CA
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed by the artist mount recto and with artist's stamp mount verso.
Silver Gelatin
Magnetic Core Assembly, IBM Plant, Poughkeepsie, New York
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed in ink on mount recto. Hasselblad Photograph series stamp and numbered 25 on mount. Very rare example.
Silver Gelatin
Roots, Foster Gardens, Honolulu
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin print is signed in pencil on the mount beneath the image. Printed in 1948 in an edition of 75 numbered copies. This print is from presentation set #33. Po...
Silver Gelatin
Hoover Dam, Power Generator, Nevada
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This incredibly rare, early silver gelatin print mounted to "shirt" board was likely printed in the 1940s. The Virginia Adams Collection stamp with her inventory number in pencil on ...
Silver Gelatin
Cedar Fence, Pojoaque, New Mexico
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print is signed in pencil on the front of the mount. Post-BMFA 11 studio stamp with title in ink on the front of the mount. An inscription by Adams' assistant "Pr...
Silver Gelatin
Roots, Foster Gardens, Honolulu
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed in pencil on front of mount with Portfolio One stamp and numbering in red crayon on back. Anne Helms’ (daughter of Ansel Adams) personal collection stamp on back of mount. Fro...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Sunset Hills, CA, (Creek and rocks)
By Ansel Adams
Located in Westwood, NJ
Carmel credit stamps on verso titled in ink by Adams on stamp. signed in ink on mount. Gallery 270 represents distinguished photographers of the 20th Century and the emergent photog...
Silver Gelatin
Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, California
By Ansel Adams
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Ansel Adams Winter Sunrise, The Sierra Nevada, From Lone Pine, California, 1944 Signed on recto, Stamped, titled and dated on verso.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Interior of Tumacoacori Mission, Arizona
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed and numbered on front of mount. Portfolio VII stamp with title, negative and print dates on back of mount. From the limited edition of 115 of which there were 100 for sale cop...
Silver Gelatin
"John, Adirondacks", Adirondacks, NY, 2010
By Lynda Churilla
Located in Hudson, NY
In her new exhibition Churilla draws from her years spent as a swimmer, lifeguard, and athlete to capture the forgotten freedom and exuberance of days of youth spent on the water. V...
Archival Pigment
$450
H 4.33 in W 6.3 in D 0.01 in
The Champs Elysées Paris under Construction, Silver Gelatin B and W Photography
By Press Agency ROL
Located in Atlanta, GA
An original silver gelatin black and white photograph by Press Agency ROL, Paris, August 1928. The iconic Champs-Élysées in Paris is under construction. Features: Original silver gel...
Silver Gelatin
$3,700
H 14 in W 11 in D 0.01 in
Frida by the Window - Frida Kahlo, painter, portrait, plant, icon
By Lucienne Bloch
Located in Denton, TX
Frida by the Window by Lucienne Bloch depicts the iconic Mexican artist posing with her back towards the window, with only a sliver of light illuminating her. Image size: 10 x 7 in....
Silver Gelatin
$1,100
H 40 in W 60 in
The Brooklyn Bridge (1959) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
The Brooklyn Bridge (1959) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) The Brooklyn Bridge and Downtown Manhattan, New York, USA, circa 1959. Ad...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Jackie Kennedy in Monacco, France
Located in Cologne, DE
Jacqueline Lee "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis (July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, and photographer who became First Lady of the United States as the wife of P...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$200
H 5.32 in W 4.38 in D 0.01 in
The Seine and Barges near Paris, 1926, Silver Gelatin B and W Photography
By Press Photo
Located in Atlanta, GA
Original Silver Gelatin Photograph of Charenton‑le‑Pont, Paris, June 1926 A rare and atmospheric original silver gelatin black‑and‑white photograph capturing the River Seine at Chare...
Silver Gelatin
$2,333
H 29.53 in W 23.63 in D 0.08 in
Dark Hedges, tree avenue, mystical forest - monochrome landscape Ireland
By Gerald Berghammer
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Black and white fine art landscape photography. Dark Hedges, majestic avenue of beech trees in Northern Ireland. Archival pigment ink print, edition of 7. Signed, titled, dated and n...
Digital Pigment
$1,200
H 17.25 in W 23.25 in
Vintage Silver Gelatin Portrait Photograph Horst Black & White Photo Koo Stark
Located in Surfside, FL
Koo Stark Black and white silver gelatin portrait photograph of photographer Horst P. Horst, official 80th birthday image. Frame: 17 1/4 x 23 1/4 inches Sight: 10 1/4 x 13 1/4 inc...
Silver Gelatin
Coney Island
By John Albok
Located in Denton, TX
Unique Vintage gelatin silver print 7 1/4 x 6 1/8 in. Titled, dated, and artist stamp. Born in Munkacs, Hungary, John Albok learned photography as a boy. He came to the U.S. in 1921...
Silver Gelatin
$816
H 6.93 in W 5.04 in D 0.02 in
Eiffel Tower, Black and White, Paris, 1950s, 17, 6 x 12, 8 cm
By Erich Andres
Located in Cologne, DE
This photograph, taken in 1952, captures a tranquil scene in Paris, France, with the iconic Eiffel Tower dominating the background. The photo was taken from the Champ de Mars, showin...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$250
H 3.93 in W 5.51 in D 0.01 in
Street View in Paris in the 1930s Silver Gelatin Black and White Photography
Located in Atlanta, GA
An original silver gelatin photograph capturing a timeless black and white street scene in Paris, France, circa 1930—a rare and authentic glimpse into the rhythm of a bygone era. Fea...
Silver Gelatin
Chicago 48
By Aaron Siskind
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Aaron Siskind (1903-1992) started his career as a documentary photographer and a member of the Photo League. He and his colleagues were interested in photography as a tool to record and address social inequalities of the day. Many of his images from the 1930's for example explored life in Harlem. In the early 1940's Siskind drifted away from social depictions preferring to capture images that focused on textures and shapes. Images of advertising fragments, graffiti and sidewalks become engaging and hypnotic because of their abstract qualities rather than the subject matter. As a result he became one of the first "abstract" photographers. Siskind's aesthetic and sensibility evolved parallel to the Abstract Expressionist movement. As a result he was the only photographer to be included in the groundbreaking 9th Street Art...
Silver Gelatin
Vine and Rock, Island of Hawaii
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin print is signed in pencil on the mount beneath the image. Printed in 1948 in an edition of 75 numbered copies. This print is from presentation set #33. Po...
Silver Gelatin
Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, Yosemite
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print is signed in pencil mount recto, with the artist's studio stamp (BMFA 11) and title in ink mount verso. Printed 1973-77.
Silver Gelatin
Sold
H 9.5 in W 7.25 in
Forest, Early Morning, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin print is signed in pencil on the front of the mount, with image number "2" in the lower left corner. Portfolio Two stamp with print #2 and set #A in red c...
Silver Gelatin
El Capitan, Yosemite Valley
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin photograph, printed in the late 1920s on Kodak Vitava Athena paper, is signed in pencil beneath the image with a typeset title centered in the lower margi...
Silver Gelatin
Roaring River Falls, Kings' River Canyon
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin photograph, printed in the late 1920s on Kodak Vitava Athena paper, is signed in pencil beneath the image with a typeset title centered in the lower margi...
Silver Gelatin
East Vidette, Southern Sierra
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print on Kodak Vitava Athena paper is signed in pencil beneath the image with typeset title centered in the lower margin. This print was made in 1927 for the Parm...
Silver Gelatin
Banner Peak, Thousand Island Lake, Central Sierra
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin photograph, printed in the late 1920s on Kodak Vitava Athena paper, is signed in pencil beneath the image with a typeset title centered in the lower margi...
Silver Gelatin
Fern Spring, Dusk, Yosemite
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This beautiful silver gelatin print with outstanding provenance is signed in pencil on the front of the mount beneath the image. The artist's studio stamp (BMFA 11), title and date i...
Silver Gelatin
Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print of one of Ansel Adams' most iconic images was printed by an assistant under Adams' supervision in the 1960s. It is signed in full by the artist in ink mount...
Silver Gelatin
Half Dome, Merced River, Winter
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This gorgeous silver gelatin photograph, handcrafted by one of Ansel Adams's assistants under his supervision in the 1960s, is signed by Ansel Adams in ink beneath the image. The art...
Silver Gelatin
Water & Foam
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed in pencil lower right. From Portfolio III. Studio stamp on mount verso; published by The Sierra Club San Francisco 1959. Printed 1959.
Silver Gelatin
Grass & Pool
By Ansel Adams
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed in pencil lower right. From Portfolio III. Studio stamp on mount verso; published by The Sierra Club San Francisco 1959. Printed 1959.
Silver Gelatin