Cart 0

View Cart

Use coupon code WELCOME10 for 10% off your first order.

No more products available for purchase

Products
Pair with
Is this a gift?
Congratulations! Your order qualifies for free shipping You are $70,000.00 USD away from free shipping.
Subtotal Free
Shipping, taxes, and discount codes are calculated at checkout

Your Cart is Empty

Mt. McKinley, Wonder Lake explore photographs The Ansel Adams Gallery

Mt. McKinley, Wonder Lake

Original Photograph Negative: 1947

Artist:  Ansel Adams


[{"variant_id":"46395604926723" , "metafield_value":""}]

Mt. McKinley, Wonder Lake

Free
×
Original Photograph Inquiry

Every original photograph is a masterpiece composed, expressed and printed by renowned photographer Ansel Adams. Only a finite number of original works exist in the world. Inquire about our collection of original photographs below.

← Back to PHOTO

More About the Image:

 

Ansel Adams made this image while in Alaska on his Guggenheim Fellowship in the late 1940’s.  Ansel and his son, Michael Adams, were staying at a ranger cabin near Wonder Lake.  Weather was a constant threat to the trip, not so much for travel, but for the prospects of good photo-making.  Andrea Stillman writes Ansel ‘experienced drizzle, downpours, and clouds and was lucky to see Mount McKinley even briefly, [he] was also plagued with swarms of hungry mosquitoes.’ (LAA pg. 180)  The day before, Ansel had photographed the moon rising over the snowcapped summit, but clouds kept a portion of the detailed slopes in veiled obscurity.  The summer sun rose early the next morning and Ansel claimed he made this photograph, perched on a knoll above the lake around 1:30am.  Later research by Dr. Don Olson indicated it was closer to 3:42am on July 15th, 1948.  Ansel wrote of the moment, ‘the clouds lifted and the mountain glowed an incredible shade of pink.  Laid out in front of Mount McKinley, Wonder Lake was pearlescent against the dark embracing arms of the shoreline.  I made what I visualized as an inevitable image.’  (LAA pg. 179)  Ansel spoke of returning to Alaska and completing a book, but it never materialized.  He would write in his autobiography, that in Alaska ‘I saw more clearly the value of true wilderness and the dangers of diluting its finest areas with the imposed accessories of civilization.’  (AB pg. 244)  The image would shortly thereafter be included in Ansel’s Portfolio 1, dedicated to his friend and mentor, Alfred Stieglitz.  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.  It was later published in the posthumous book and exhibition, Ansel Adams at 100.

Articles
Ansel Adams - USPS Forever Stamp Pane
Ansel Adams - USPS Forever Stamp Pane

We are thrilled to celebrate the release of the USPS Stamp featuring Ansel Adams’ iconic work and commemorating his impact on art, the environment, and conservation.

Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake
Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake

Ansel Adams’ “Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake” is one of the defining images of the Alaskan Wilderness. Ansel made this image when he, accompanied by his son Michael, set out in 1947 on a Guggenheim Fellowship to document the majestic landscapes of Alaska. 

Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake
Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake

Ansel Adams’ “Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake” is one of the defining images of the Alaskan Wilderness. Ansel made this image when he, accompanied by his son Michael, set out in 1947 on a Guggenheim Fellowship to document the majestic landscapes of Alaska. 

New Release: Mt. McKinley, Wonder Lake - Modern Replica Print
New Release: Mt. McKinley, Wonder Lake - Modern Replica Print

Ansel Adams’ 1947 masterpiece captured in Denali National Park, Alaska

Collectors have found the gallery’s “Modern Replicas” a welcome addition to the options for collecting the work of Ansel Adams