TAOS PUEBLO
Original Book by Ansel Adams and Mary Austin
Print Date: 1930 | Edition Number: 33
18 x 15″ | Very Good Condition
Signed “Ansel Adams” and “Mary Austin”
When Ansel Adams traveled to Taos, New Mexico, in April of 1929, he arrived with more than his camera: he carried a spirit of wonder. The desert sky, the adobe architecture, and the people of Taos Pueblo spoke to him in a way that would define one of his most profound collaborations: Taos Pueblo, the book he created with writer Mary Austin.
Ansel had been introduced to Austin on a trip to New Mexico just two years earlier. The two formed a fast friendship and a profound connection, sharing a vision as only two lovers of the land truly could. In 1929, their artistic duet began when their friend Tony Lujan, a Taos Pueblo leader, gave them permission to enter the Pueblo and document its timeless daily life. Ansel was struck by the Pueblo’s adobe structures, the majesty of its people, and the way light shaped every building and face in Taos.
Front Cover of TAOS PUEBLO
Inside Cover of TAOS PUEBLO
TAOS PUEBLO
Original Book by Ansel Adams and Mary Austin
Print Date: 1930 | Edition Number: 33
18 x 15″ | Very Good Condition
Signed “Ansel Adams” and “Mary Austin”
His enthusiasm was almost beyond words; in a letter to his friend, Cedric Wright, he scribbled, “Lookie! Jezuz Krize this is a great place. Such MOUNTAINS!!!!… You gotta see this place before you die.”
Thankfully, Mary Austin, a pioneering nature writer, had words aplenty. With her keen eye for observation and deeply empathetic voice, she provided lyrical text to accompany the twelve images Ansel showcased in the book they created.
“Ansel Adams with camera,” photograph courtesy of the Adams’ Family Archives.
“Portrait of Mary Hunter Austin” photograph by Charles Fletcher Lummis (1859–1928), ca. 1900.
Taos Pueblo was published in 1930 by the Grabhorn Press, which produced a limited edition of just 108 copies. What makes the book extraordinary is not just its scarcity, but the remarkable care in its making. Each copy includes twelve original silver-bromide prints, personally printed by Ansel himself on rag paper specially prepared by his friend William Dassonville. The pages themselves, bound in quarter morocco and buckram, are alive with Mary Austin’s text and Angelo Valenti’s elegant design: a testament to the care both artists took in bringing this project to life.
Girl of Taos
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate VI in “Taos Pueblo”
Man of Taos
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate III in “Taos Pueblo”
In 1977, eager to introduce this treasure to a new generation Ansel helped to produce a facsimile edition alongside the New York Graphic Society. This time, 950 signed copies were released, with gravure reproductions of the original photographs. As historian Weston Naef later noticed, the original Taos Pueblo remains a milestone in Adams’ career: a declaration of his mastery of light and form.
St. Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929
Plate XII in “Taos Pueblo”
North House, Kiva, and Thunder Clouds
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate XI in “Taos Pueblo”
For Adam’s, Taos Pueblo was more than a book. It was an act of deep, respectful engagement with the landscape, culture, and narrative he found in the Pueblo. He did not simply photograph the buildings; he documented a living community, built on centuries of enduring tradition. With Mary Austin’s words alongside his images, the book becomes a dialogue—between photography and writing, between artist and subject, between past and place.
Today, The Ansel Adams Gallery is pleased to offer for sale a rare edition of this special volume. Flipping through these pages is an invitation to return to that special moment in 1929: when Ansel’s camera met Mary’s pen, when two artists came together to honor not just a place, but a people.
North House, (End View)
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate VII in “Taos Pueblo”
Ruins of Old Church
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate IV in “Taos Pueblo”
North House, (Hlauuma)
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate I in “Taos Pueblo”
Old Man of Taos
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate IX in “Taos Pueblo”
South House, Harvest
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate VIII in “Taos Pueblo”
South House, Woman Winnowing Grain
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate X in “Taos Pueblo”
South House, (Hlauuma)
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate II in “Taos Pueblo”
New Church
Original photograph by Ansel Adams, 1929.
Plate V in “Taos Pueblo”
FOR QUESTIONS & MORE INFORMATION
Please contact originals@anseladams.com
or call 888-238-9244
Last Updated on January 13, 2026
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Ansel Adams as the Lord of Misrule. Photograph courtesy of the Adams' Family Archives.
