Ansel Adams
Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico

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Artist Ansel Adams (American, 1902–1984)American, 1902–1984

CultureAmerican

Titles

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico

Date1941, printed c. 1965

PlaceHernandez, New Mexico, United States

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 15 1/4 × 19 1/2 in. (38.8 × 49.5 cm)
Sheet: 15 1/4 × 19 1/2 in. (38.7 × 49.5 cm)
Mount: 15 1/4 × 19 1/2 in. (38.8 × 49.5 cm)

Credit LineGift of Manfred Heiting, The Manfred Heiting Collection

Object number2002.516

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Special Collections

Manfred Heiting Collection of Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionAmong
the most iconic photographic images of the 20th century, Ansel Adams’s
Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico has inspired multiple generations of
photographers. Adams too found continued inspiration in the shot. As he grew
older, he made photographic prints of this image with ever-increasing contrast,
using dodge-and-burn techniques and special filters. This picture of Moonrise,
with its heavy canopy of black night sky, emphasizes the vivid radiance,
beauty, and eternal presence of the moon.
ProvenanceThe artist; [William Field Design]; purchased by Manfred Heiting, May 22, 1974; given to MFAH, 2002.
Exhibition History"The Modern West: American Landscapes, 1890–1950," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 29, 2006–January 28, 2007; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, March 4–June 3, 2007.

"Shooting the Moon: Photographs from the Museum's Collection 50 Years after Apollo 11," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 20–September 2, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Stamped in black, verso of mount, center: "PHOTOGRAPH / BY / ANSEL ADAMS / ROUTE 1, BOX 181 / CARMEL, CALIFORNIA / 93921"

Stamped in black, verso of mount, with insertions in black: "TITLE Moonrise / CREDIT Hernandez New Mexico 1941 / DATE FILM / signed [signature]"

Signed, verso of mount, in black: "Ansel Adams"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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