Half Dome, Merced River, Winter
Original Photograph Negative: ca, 1938
Artist: Ansel Adams
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About the Image
Ansel Adams made this image in 1938 with an 8" x 10” view camera from the Old Sentinel Bridge near the Yosemite Chapel. Though the old bridge was replaced in 1994, the new Sentinel Bridge remains one the best viewpoints in Yosemite Valley and a popular spot for photographers – in large part because of Adams' photograph from this location. Even with fresh snow implying a recent blistering snowstorm and a sense of wildness, the quiet meandering river also gives the scene a welcoming tranquility. The Ponderosa Pines and Incense Cedars framing Half Dome direct our gaze towards the monolith; this use of ‘near-far’ composition creates a ‘magical [. . .] exaggeration of the scale and feeling of depth.’ (OH pg.60). Ansel’s affinity for this image is evidenced by the fact he printed a mammoth 38” x 60” mural that hung above the fireplace of Best's Studio (now The Ansel Adams Gallery) in Yosemite Valley as a centerpiece for many years. In 1958, Virginia and Ansel Adams started a series of photographs named The Special Editions of Yosemite series. These photographs, made from Ansel’s negatives, but printed by a trusted assistant, were meant as more meaningful and treasured mementos than what was available for visitors at other shops around Yosemite Valley. The inaugural series was made up of only a small selection of images, Half Dome, Merced River, Winter being one of them. It would be published in Yosemite and the Range of Light, and at the end of his life, Ansel communicated the significance of this image by including it as one of the variants in his last major project, The Museum Set.
There are few natural landmarks more iconic than Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, known by many through Ansel’s photographs like “Half Dome, Merced River, Winter.” A majestic rock formation that’s almost other-worldly with its steep, sheer face, it’s a focal point of many a Yosemite visitor’s time in the park.
Hosted on May 15th, 2024 in Yosemite National Park by USPS, the exclusive First-Day-Of-Issue ceremony unveiled the new stamps and showcased the stunning beauty of nature captured through Ansel’s lens. The event featured speeches from Alan Ross, a long-time assistant of Ansel’s, Matthew Adams, Ansel’s grandson, and representatives of The National Park Service and United States Postal Service.
