A celebration without shadows: Ansel Adam's and Nancy Newhall's collaborations on

Abstract

Throughout the 1950s and '60s Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall collaborated on eight books devoted to photography. Two of these publications stand apart as books which were distinctly commercial in character. The Pageant of History in Northern California (1954), created for the American Trust Company of San Francisco, and Fiat Lux (1967), commissioned by the University of California, are linked by a number of interesting similarities. The ultimate function was identical--to create a work that would reflect the institution's commitment to the State of California. This essay will examine the character of Adams's photographs, Newhall's text, and their collaboration itself. It will explore the decisions and compromises Adams and Newhall were compelled to make between the requirements of the commercial commission and the preservation of their personal agenda of promoting photography as a tool of visual communication.