1886-1958

Edward Weston was born March 24, 1886 in Highland Park, Illinois. 

In 1902 Edward Weston’s father gave him his first camera.  It only took a matter of weeks for Weston to become skilled in taking photographs and he quickly progressed to a 5x7 camera with ground glass and tripod. It was in 1903 that the earliest Weston print in the archives appears called Spring.  This photograph was published in Camera and Darkroom in 1906.  In 1909 He married Flora Chandler and had four sons, Chandler, Brett, Neil and Cole.

He opened his portrait studio in Glendale, California in 1911.

Weston was a very successful portrait/commercial photographer.  In 1914 a group of 6 of his photographs was accepted into the London Salon.  Three years later, he was elected a member of the Salon.  In 1923 Weston moved to Mexico where he experienced some very good success, with Tina Modotti and his son, Chandler.  In Mexico he began using an 8x10 camera and hand held Graflex .  In 1924 Edward and Chandler returned to California leaving Tina in Mexico.

In 1929 Edward moved to Carmel California where he became greatly inspired by the coast, particularly, Point Lobos.  In 1934, Weston met Charis Wilson who later became his wife and one of his most prolific subjects.  In 1937 Weston was one of the first photographers to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship.  This allowed Weston to photograph as he pleased.  Weston died at home in 1958 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.