Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Mon, 15 Feb 1999 21:26:16 -0500 (EST)
On Mon, 15 Feb 1999, Curtis Fant wrote:
> Judy,
>
> did you know that George Dunham wrote all of the Morensen books? First
> in private, then with all public knowledge. Mortensen said he was
> incapable of writing. Dunham got 1/3 of the royalties. Ansel Adams
> said in his biography that in California in the 1930s there were two
> opposite approches to photography, Edward Weston and William Mortensen.
> You seem to know a lot about all three people! Will you tell more?
> > damnsight better writer than Adams, for sure...
You're very kind Curtis, I just doubled my knowledge on this list. I am
enchanted to learn that Dunham wrote the books. And a very good writer he
was !
The first edition of Ansel Adams' book was impenetrable, BTW. By one of
the later editions (Graphic Press or like that?) it was much cleaned up.
(Maybe he hired Dunham.)
I did study Mortensen on the Negative carefully, found it delightful, and
will when I have done some bunches & mountains of things haunting &
taunting me, put his page about the photographer's ego on the list. (It
was Mortensen I was quoting, Jonathan.)
The only easy thing to add now (when I'm not really here, but working
elsewhere, you understand) was the night at a workshop at Asilomar, when
A.D. Coleman full of piss and vinegar read the riot act to Beaumont
Newhall (to whose belt buckle he probably reached) for not having even a
footnote about WM in the History of Photography. That was about 1982, I
guess. Beaumont took it very genially.... but the rest of us in the
audience were pinching ourselves -- are we seeing/hearing what we're
seeing/hearing?
More when possible,
Judy
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