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Charis, Lake Ediza
Edward Weston (American, 1886–1958)
1937
Medium/Technique
Photograph, gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Sheet: 24.3 x 19.3 cm (9 9/16 x 7 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Saundra B. Lane in honor of Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr.
Accession Number2002.888
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas, Photography
ClassificationsPhotographs
Edward Weston made a revealing series of photographs of his wife that goes beyond simple likeness and demonstrates the balance of power and trust inherent in human relationships. Weston's portrait of Charis Wilson at Lake Ediza, taken during a 1937 pack trip to Yosemite with Ansel Adams, is an intense and touching image of the young woman soon to become his second wife. Charis is shown seated against a vertical rock face wearing tall lace-up boots, her head swathed in a turban to ward off mosquitoes and her gaze directed at the camera with a mixture of innocence and sensuality. Weston's classic nudes of Charis from the late 1930s are some of his most highly regarded works, but this emotionally charged picture of her fully clothed is in many ways a more sensitive and moving image.
InscriptionsVerso of mt. u.l.: SC-SS-12G/'37; Cole Weston stamp
ProvenanceFrom the artist to his son, Cole Weston; purchased by William H. and Saundra B. Lane; 2003, year-end gift of Saundra B. Lane to the MFA. (Accession date: January 22, 2003)
Copyright