Did Ansel Adams or Best’s Studio ever issue hand-colored prints?
Asked 5/21/2011
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I have two old prints stamped on the back "Best’s Studios," and one is signed "Best." They resemble Ansel Adams images, but I haven’t been able to match them to any photos I’ve found. Both prints have slight added color—green, brown, and blue lightly rubbed or dabbed into the trees and water. The backs also have numbers and say, "In ordering duplicates refer to number." Did Ansel Adams or Best’s Studio ever make or sell hand-colored versions of his prints, or could these be later reproductions or altered prints?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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I have. To be quite honest, I didn't like them. If you want to see Ansel Adams quality work, in color... buy HIS book "Ansel Adams in Color" (ISBN: 9780316056410). It's a little known secret that he actually shot in color periodically, trying the new technology to see if it ever caught up with his artistic vision.
Adams married Virgina Best, who was also an artist, and owned "Best's Studios". Any "marketing" of his images has been handled through their brand. They actually run www.anseladams.com as a dba under the name "Ansel Adams Studio". So anything with their numbers and such on the back are likely legit reprints from them.
However, I don't think the coloration came from them. The ones I've seen for sale were done by an artist in California who's name I never caught. He bought archive prints from them and added color to them with various media. (Personally, I would almost use the word "deface" to describe what he was doing... but only because I dream to capture images with the depth of character that Adams is known for.)
If you have any doubt about the authenticity, call them and ask. The place is run by photographers who care about photography as an artform, the last time I talked to anyone there they were very knowledgable and helpful in my quest to identify if a print I was looking at purchasing was legit or not. Given a re-order number, I'm betting they'll be able to tell you exactly what it is. It's quite possible it's not an Adams image, but one of some other member of the studio, possibly his wife's if it bears her signature.
Originally by user1872. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1872
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Best’s Studio is genuinely connected to Ansel Adams: he married Virginia Best, and the family studio/brand handled printing and marketing of his work. So a "Best’s Studios" stamp and duplicate-order number could indicate a legitimate studio print or reproduction.
That said, the added hand-coloring is less likely to be original Ansel Adams work. Adams is best known for black-and-white prints, though he did photograph in color and there is a book of his color work. Community input suggests the tinted versions some people have seen were hand-colored later by another artist rather than issued that way by Adams himself.
So the most likely explanation is: the prints may be legitimate Best’s Studio reproductions, but the color was probably added separately and not by Adams. To learn more, compare the image to known Adams photographs and, if needed, contact the Ansel Adams/Best’s Studio archive or a qualified print appraiser for authentication.
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