Santa Fe Engine

1937–1939

Nearly 1,400 negatives in two years on the fellowship

The first photographer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship, he produces nearly 1,400 negatives over the next two years with his 8 × 10 view camera.

24 April 1939

Marries Charis Wilson

Finally relieved of past financial stress and inordinately happy with both his work and his relationship, Weston marries Wilson in a small ceremony on 24 April.

1945

First symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

The year 1945 marks the beginning of significant changes: Weston begins to experience the first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a debilitating ailment that will gradually steal his strength and his ability to photograph. He withdraws from Wilson, who is becoming more involved in local politics and the Carmel cultural scene.

until February 1946

Separation from Charis Wilson

A strength that once brought them together — her lack of interest in becoming a photographer herself — eventually leads to their break-up. While he is working on a major retrospective for the Museum of Modern Art they separate; Weston returns to Glendale, since the land under their cabin on Wildcat Hill still belongs to Wilson’s father. Within a few months she moves out and arranges to sell the property to him. She later wrote that her flight from Edward was partly an escape from photography, which had taken up so much room in her life.

February 1946

Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art

In February 1946 Weston’s major retrospective opens at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He and Beaumont Newhall select 313 prints, and eventually 250 photographs are displayed along with 11 negatives. Many of his prints are still for sale at the time, and he sells 97 prints from the show at $25 each.

1947

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease

He is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and soon stops photographing; he spends the remaining ten years of his life overseeing the printing of more than 1,000 of his most famous images.