Ansel Adams in London

Andrew O'Neill

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I get a chuckle when I see them called Parmelian prints. A made up word to hide the fact that they are photographic prints. Kind of like how some digital workers call their inkjet prints, Giclee prints.
 

mark

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Andrew O'Neill said:
I get a chuckle when I see them called Parmelian prints. A made up word to hide the fact that they are photographic prints. Kind of like how some digital workers call their inkjet prints, Giclee prints.
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Parmelian was the title of the portfolio. Flowery title, yes, but I see no reason that it should be construed as a means to hide something.
 

benjiboy

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I'm sure they are wonderful prints to see in the flesh, but I can't see me travelling four hundred miles round trip on Christmas Eve to see them.
 

Andrew O'Neill

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mark said:
Parmelian was the title of the portfolio. Flowery title, yes, but I see no reason that it should be construed as a means to hide something.
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It was meant to hide the fact that Ansel's prints were made photographically. The word was coined by his benefactor, Albert Bender. He felt that they wouldn't sell if they were called what they were.
 

Theo Sulphate

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What? Everyone knows AA was a photographer. If they weren't photographic prints, what would they be? What is the intended implication by obscuring the true nature of the prints?
 

mark

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Andrew O'Neill said:
It was meant to hide the fact that Ansel's prints were made photographically. The word was coined by his benefactor, Albert Bender. He felt that they wouldn't sell if they were called what they were.
Click to expand...

I had no idea. I am familiar with the portfolio and assumed it was just a title unifying the images.
 

cowanw

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in 1927 comparatively few knew Ansel Adams let alone that he was a photographer.
The title of the portfolio was problematic to Adams. The term "parmelian" was a meaningless word invented by Moore, who believed that calling them "photographic prints" would not allow them to be taken seriously as art.[4] Adams later said "I am not proud at allowing this breach of faith in my medium."[3] To add to his chagrin, the word "Sierras" was also wrong. According to Adams, "The name Sierra is already a plural. To add an s is a linguistic, Californian, and mountaineering sin."
Ansel Adams: An Autobiography
 
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