Excusado

30 July – 11 August 1923

Sails for Mexico with Modotti and his son

On 30 July a steamer takes Weston, his son Chandler and Modotti on the extended trip to Mexico; his wife Flora and their other three sons wave goodbye from the dock, and Flora is reported to have called out to Modotti to take good care of her boys. They arrive in Mexico City on 11 August and rent a large hacienda outside the city.

17 October 1923

Exhibition at the Aztec Land Gallery

The exhibition, arranged within a month of his arrival, opens on 17 October to glowing press reviews; he is particularly proud of Marius de Zayas’s review saying that photography is beginning to be photography, for until now it has only been art.

August 1925

Back in Mexico: a joint show with Modotti

His new relationship with Lerner does not last long, and in August he returns to Mexico, this time with his son Brett; Modotti has arranged a joint show of their photographs, and it opens the week he arrives. He receives new critical acclaim, and six of his prints are purchased for the State Museum.

late 1926

Break with Modotti and return to California

By the time they return from the trip, Weston and Modotti’s relationship has crumbled, and within less than two weeks he and Brett go back to California. He never travels to Mexico again.

early 1934

Meets Charis Wilson at a concert

Meeting Charis Wilson at a concert, he is immediately captivated by her beauty and personality, even more than with his previous lovers; a new and important chapter opens in his life. He writes that a new and most beautiful love has come into his life, one that he believes will stand the test of time.

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.