Ansel Adams Carlsbad Caverns photos

[Scott McCrea]

The US National Archives has posted a bunch of pics to Flickr. Here's a bunch of pics Ansel Adams took in Carlsbad Caverns.

[JR-Orion]

Very nice!

I wonder what he thought about working underground?

[Don Hunter]

Anybody else notice that one of the Onyx Curtain photos (near the bottom of the thumbs) is displayed upside down? Looks much better in the proper orientation.

[Ralph E. Powers]

Adams was such a great photographer, it is indeed nice to see his work had extended to our beloved underground. Amazing work considering the cameras and lighting that was available at the time.

[Cheryl Jones]

In 2007, the NSS granted $5,000.00 to the Cavern Arts Project, a project of the Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association, to assist in their efforts to preserve and exhibit the cave art collection at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which included Ansel Adam's prints of Carlsbad. The collection is now displayed at CCNP.

The NSS also supported publication of the related book "Visions Underground," which is available in the NSS Bookstore

[Loismanno]

I have seen several of Ansel's Carlsbad Caverns photos printed with incorrect orientations in more than one expensive "coffee-table" book. The reproductions of his photos that appear in "Visions Underground" Carlsbad Caverns through the Artist's Eye" are all right side up! However, they don't do justice to the originals. You'll have to go to the Caverns visitor center to see those. We have four originals out of the 25 prints on display at all times. They rotate annually for conservation purposes. See more about the exhibit at http://www.cavernartsproject.org. Thanks to the National Speleological Society for sponsoring both the book and the exhibit at the park!

Lois Manno
Cavern Arts Project Director