Monument Valley (Boulder)

While the monuments of Monument Valley would be immortalized on film by directors like John Ford, Ansel Adams captured the rugged grandeur of one of America’s most iconic landscapes decades before John Wayne galloped across its expanse. 

In 1958, Ansel was something all artists long to be—busy. On assignment for the Kodak Corporation, he was working to produce “Coloramas,” massive 18’ by 60’ images to adorn the walls of Grand Central Station in New York City. The project was a perfect fit for Ansel’s growing interest in conservation and advocacy. He knew that if he could only help his fellow Americans understand how it felt to linger in front of a magnificent vista, that they would feel as he did: called to protect it. To help busy urbanites understand the wonders of the American wilderness, he set out on a project to photograph every National Park, a journey which brought him inexorably to the Southwest and Monument Valley .

Tasked with capturing Monument Valley , one of the most photographed places on Earth, Ansel managed to do the impossible: he treated us to a new view of it. In this photograph, the most famous features of the landscape, the Mittens and Merrick Butte, are relegated to the background. Instead, Ansel chose to feature an unnamed boulder, a piece of sandstone jutting out of the foreground like a whale’s fin. The unconventional choice is entirely in keeping with Ansel’s genius for composition. The deep striations in the ancient rock draw the eye deeper into the valley, pointing out the snaking path leading through it and lending the remote monoliths a grand, austere distance. Unlike the boulder, which we are close enough to stand on, these buttes are meant to be looked upon with awe. Indeed, to the Diné/Navajo people, Monument Valley is a sacred place, home to numerous traditions and stories. In homage to this rich, living history, Ansel’s image captures and reflects this profundity.

It’s no surprise that Ansel included this photograph in his Museum Set, a collection of images created with the express purpose of being donated to a museum or other public entity. As biographer Mary Street Alinder put it, Ansel “wanted his work to be seen by many, not by a few.” Ansel truly got his wish—in 2024, he was honored with the creation of the United States Postal Service’s “Ansel Adams Forever” stamps, a collection which included this image. Expressing the rich legacy and tradition that, as citizens of this planet, we all share, this stunning photograph is truly a testament not just to Ansel’s artistic brilliance, but to his legendary role in preserving our natural heritage.