Complete Formatted Labels Final

10 glass lantern slides, 1880s–90s Collection of Mary Weston Di Nucci Slides were the preferred medium of many creative photographers in the late 19th century when camera clubs such as the Society of Amateur Photographers of New York projected slides on special screening nights. These screenings became popular events for both the general public and contributing club members like Post. The images represented in these ten slides reveal Post’s penchant for including figures in his early landscapes. Push the button on the light box to illuminate the slides.

Adolfo Farsari (Italy, 1841–1898) Portrait of William B. Post, Yokohama, Japan, 1891 Hand-colored albumen print on cabinet card Collection of Mary Weston Di Nucci Post spent the summer of 1891 in Japan as part of a nine-month trip he had taken presumably for health reasons, but also to pursue his interest in artistic photography. This portrait of Post in traditional Japanese attire was taken in a professional photography studio in Yokohama. During his time in Japan, Post observed its culture, landscape, and everyday life, paying particular attention to nature. He was also enthralled by Japanese art, admiring the rich costuming, handcrafted objects, carvings, and ceramics—all of which he collected during his visit. When he left the country in the fall of 1891, his journey home took him first by ship to Victoria, British Columbia and then to Tacoma, Washington, where he boarded the transcontinental rail line back to New York.

Adolfo Farsari (Italy, 1841–1898) Portrait of William B. Post, Yokohama, Japan, 1891 Hand-colored albumen print Post spent the summer of 1891 in Japan as part of a nine-month trip he had taken presumably for health reasons, but also to pursue his interest in artistic photography. This portrait of Post in traditional Japanese attire was taken in a professional photography studio in Yokohama. During his time in Japan, Post observed its culture, landscape, and everyday life, paying particular attention to nature. He was also enthralled by Japanese art, admiring the rich costuming, handcrafted objects, carvings, and ceramics—all of which he collected during his visit. When he left the country in the fall of 1891, his journey home took him first by ship to Victoria, British Columbia and then to Tacoma, Washington, where he boarded the transcontinental rail line back to New York.

Great South Bay, about 1891 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1891 Platinum print

Letter from Alfred Stieglitz to William B. Post, dated July 10, 1894 Ink on paper Collection of Mary Weston Di Nucci This letter is the earliest of the approximately thirty-five surviving letters exchanged between William B. Post and Alfred Stieglitz. Alfred Stieglitz was the leading American proponent and practitioner of artistic photography at the time that Post became an active photographer. The two became friends and Stieglitz invited Post to join his elite group of photographers, known as the PhotoSecession. Stieglitz also promoted Post’s work, including it in major exhibitions and publications, most notably the influential journal Camera Work.

Letter from Alfred Stieglitz to William B. Post, dated July 10, 1894 Collection of Mary Weston Di Nucci This letter is the earliest of the approximately thirty-five surviving letters exchanged between William B. Post and Alfred Stieglitz. Alfred Stieglitz was the leading American proponent and practitioner of artistic photography at the time that Post became an active photographer. The two became friends and Stieglitz invited Post to join his elite group of photographers, known as the PhotoSecession. Stieglitz also promoted Post’s work, including it in major exhibitions and publications, most notably the influential journal Camera Work.

Dear Post: A few minutes ago I received your very down hearted sounding letter & at the same time, oddly enough, the first proof of your “Foggy Day” from the Autotype Co. It is a beauty, exceedingly delicate & I am so well pleased with it that I have already ordered 5 extra copies. When I arrive in London I shall have one framed & take it to the Salon. If it doesn’t get in, I don’t know anything about art photography & the Committee will fall consider ably in my estimation. I like the picture fully as much now as Lintott’s—& you know I didn’t like the rough platinum print as much. So you are down in the mouth—if I didn’t know you so well, I would take every word more seriously. How is it that a day or so later you, Obermeyer & Al. Stern went off to the Bronx? Wait till I get back & we’ll take a drink on that at the Windsor,—I’ll stand treat. Well, to-day I shot off about 15 big plates, some very fine cloud & light effects on snow mountains, etc., etc. How they’ll turn out, the Lord knows—I have lost all self-confidence it seems. Am beginning to find out that I know hanged little about photographic matters. Wrote to “Photography” a few days ago to send me all back numbers from May 1st, as I am beginning to be tired of not hearing or knowing anything. If I can I expect to exhibit at Falmouth & in both London exhibitions. Don’t know whether I’ll have time to get ready for the lantern slide Competitions. Have some beauties for slides, more than for prints by a hanged sight. Expect to be in the Black Forest in a few days & hope to do some good figure work there —still I have been hoping all along & have hardly done anything worthy of mention.

Remember me to Murray & Roumage, & hoping that by the time I get back you’ll be able to enjoy a few glasses at Gillig’s with me & my wife, who wishes to be remembered, believe me yours sincerely Alfred Stieglitz

Sadie Gordon Weston, about 1895 Platinum print

Summer Days, about 1895 Platinum print In the 1890s Post also practiced the “naturalistic” style of photography which was then a major movement in the United States and abroad. Popular subjects included farmers working in fields, animals grazing, and women enjoying nature. Photographers were advised to render the central subject in sharp focus while downplaying the surrounding details. Post’s Summer Days is his finest example of this style of photography with full sunlight bathing the scene and providing a welldefined reflection in the foreground and a softer, atmospheric background. Interestingly, Post shared a common affinity with French and American painters such as Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent for portraying the leisure activities of the middle class.

Mary Cassatt (United States, 1844–1926) The Boating Party, 1893-94 Oil on canvas 35 1/2 x 46 1/4 inches National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Untitled, 1898 Platinum print Post greatly admired Japanese art and emulated its aesthetic to great effect by sometimes using elongated formats (either horizontal or vertical) similar to scroll paintings and the long sheets used for calligraphy poems. In this image, he radically limits the viewer’s access to the scene by providing only a narrow keyhole glimpse into an apple orchard.

Wild Aster, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print Post photographed water lilies with the same passion as he did snow. Wading into the water, he would lower his camera to within a foot of the delicate white flowers taking long exposures at small aperture settings. By eliminating the horizon line, he created lyrical abstract compositions which —like the winter landscapes—are understated decorative schemes rendered in limited and subtle tonalities. While it is doubtful that they influenced each other, Post shared a similar theme with the well-known French Impressionist painter, Claude Monet.

Claude Monet (France, 1840–1926) Waterlilies, Green Reflection, Left Part, 1916-23 Oil on canvas Dimensions unknown Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris

No. 5, about 1900 Platinum print

October Morning, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Entrance to Mary's Garden, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print Post photographed the changing seasons of his rural environs in Maine, capturing such transient moments as this apple orchard in full springtime bloom. With the delicate apple blossoms poised to flutter off in the next breeze, there is an ephemeral nature to the scene as though change is inevitable. This sense of a fleeting moment is not unlike that found in the accompanying exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints.

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

No. 8, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print Devoid of vivid color, the winter landscape of Maine naturally lent itself to the monochromatic medium of photography and Post made this his primary subject. Photographing when the sun was low and the shadows were long, he created highly refined and understated compositions. He sometimes included farmhouses and barns, but generally preferred landscapes pared down to their essential components— ground, trees, and sky. His affinity for Japanese aesthetics is evident in images such as this, which uses an elongated format and dramatically high horizon line.

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Fryeburg, Maine, about 1900 Platinum print

Fog and Frost, about 1900 Platinum print

Fog and Frost, about 1900 Platinum print

Forest Edge, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

November, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Aftermath, about 1900 Platinum print

As Daylight Fails, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print

Untitled, about 1900 Platinum print Frame by George F. Of Post presented most of his finished photographs on dark mounts and in dark frames. This platinum print still has its original frame made by the distinguished New York craftsman, George F. Of. Of placed the print in a simple, thin molding, which he then surrounded with an expanse of flat gray wood that enhances the picture’s exaggerated foreground. With its open oak grain and abstract border pattern, this frame evokes the Arts and Crafts style popular at the time.

right

Intervale in Winter, 1899 Platinum print left

Intervale, Winter, 1901 Photogravure From Camera Notes, July 1901 Photographing an intervale (a low-lying tract of land along a river) near his home in Maine, Post employed a very radical composition and subtle tonalities to virtuoso effect. He boldly placed the horizon line high in the frame, leaving a large open expanse in the foreground and middle distance. The small spray of grass in the foreground balances the mass of silhouetted trees along the horizon, and as a result the image with few values and scant subject matter abounds in suggestion and symbolism. This was Post’s most widely exhibited and published photograph, both nationally and internationally, and was considered his signature work. Seen here is the original platinum print alongside the photogravure that was published in Camera Notes.

left

Intervale in Winter, 1899 Platinum print right

Intervale, Winter, 1901 Photogravure From Camera Notes, July 1901 Photographing an intervale (a low-lying tract of land along a river) near his home in Maine, Post employed a very radical composition and subtle tonalities to virtuoso effect. He boldly placed the horizon line high in the frame, leaving a large open expanse in the foreground and middle distance. The small spray of grass in the foreground balances the mass of silhouetted trees along the horizon, and as a result the image with few values and scant subject matter abounds in suggestion and symbolism. This was Post’s most widely exhibited and published photograph, both nationally and internationally, and was considered his signature work. Seen here is the original platinum print alongside the photogravure that was published in Camera Notes.

Wintry Weather, about 1903 Platinum print

Day Before Christmas, about 1909 Platinum print

Study of Lilies, about 1915 Platinum print

Private Sale, August 22, 1923 Collection of Mary Weston Di Nucci Two years after Post’s death in 1921, financial troubles caused his widow to sell their home in Fryeburg, Maine and many of his possessions. The handbill for this private sale offered “A Rare Collection of Photographs” and in Post’s case, this collection would have been one of the finest of the time. In addition to Post’s own work, it included original prints by many other artists such as: A. Horsley Hinton, a major English pictorialist; Gertrude Käsebier, this country’s leading female portrait photographer; and most importantly several by the renowned Alfred Stieglitz. Names are misspelled on the handbill perhaps because the Post family had not kept a written inventory of the collection.

Handbill for sale of Post’s possessions, August 22, 1923 (sale date) Collection of Mary Weston Di Nucci Two years after Post’s death in 1921, financial troubles caused his widow to sell their home in Fryeburg, Maine and many of his possessions. The handbill for this private sale offered “A Rare Collection of Photographs” and in Post’s case, this collection would have been one of the finest of the time. In addition to Post’s own work, it included original prints by many other artists such as: A. Horsley Hinton, a major English pictorialist; Gertrude Käsebier, this country’s leading female portrait photographer; and most importantly several by the renowned Alfred Stieglitz. Names are misspelled on the handbill perhaps because the Post family had not kept a written inventory of the collection.

Home from Work, no date Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 3 1/8 inches Untitled [Seated Hunter], late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 4 inches Shore of the Pond, late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 4 inches Untitled [Landscape], late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 4 inches Untitled [Woman Watering Garden], late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 4 inches Untitled [Two Women in a Garden], late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches Untitled [Man with Sickle], late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 4 inches

Winter on 5th Avenue, late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 5/16 x 4 inches Untitled [Haystacks], late 19th century Glass lantern slide 3 1/4 x 4 inches Portrait Study-Netherwood, about 1888 Glass lantern slide 3 5/16 x 4 inches Slides were the preferred medium of many creative photographers in the late 19th century when camera clubs such as the Society of Amateur Photographers of New York projected slides on special screening nights. These screenings became popular events for both the general public and contributing club members like Post. The images represented in these ten slides reveal Post’s penchant for including figures in his early landscapes. Push the button on the light box to illuminate the slides.