Blog - photography

Ansel Adams on a Coffee Can

Imagine my surprise seeing Ansel Adams' Yosemite Valley, Winter (1959) on an old coffee can. I had to find out how this famous photograph came to be on an everyday object. In 1969, Hills Brothers Coffee in San Francisco with Adams' permission reproduced the photo on its coffee cans as a wraparound image toned in sepia. Critics and fellow photographers criticized Adams for being a crass marketer. Thousands of the three-pound cans sold nationwide in grocery stores for $2.35 each. Recently at auction, the Ansel Adams Hills Bros. Coffee Can (empty) sold for over $1,000.  And now, time for another cup of coffee!Questions? Want to add to your collection?  email me: blevine@projectb.com Read more Ansel Adams, Barbara Levine, photography