VITTORIO SELLA. K2 and Staircase Peak from Windy Gap (panorama of enlargements), 1909, Sella number HK 145-147. 19.25x67.5", print 145: 19.25x23", print 146: 19.25x21.5", print 147: 19.5x22.75": 3 gelatin silver prints, printed c. 1909, mounted on 69x21" heavy gray board. Embossed with Vittorio Sella stamp in lower right of print 147. Inscribed in pencil on mount of print 146 verso: 145-147 K2 & Staircase /Appalachian Club / Trim 1/2 in all around. Inscribed in ink Verso print 146 Karakoram Mts.

Here Sella captured the grand nature of K2, Staircase Peak and the edge of the Baltoro Glacier.

In 1909, as Sella was approaching his fiftieth birthday, he and his long time climbing friend the Duke of the Abruzzi, Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, embarked on their most ambitious journey yet, to climb K2 in the Western Himalaya Karakoram range, and to satisfy the Duke's primary intention to set a new high-altitude climbing record. In Tibetan, the name Karakoram means "black gravel," and to reach it meant crossing the vast mountainous region between Kashmir and Chinese Turkestan, a complex system of ranges, immense tablelands, intricate valleys, and mighty rivers.

The Duke wanted to determine how high human beings could climb and survive, a question that could only be solved by direct experience. The expedition ultimately spent over two months on the Karakoram glaciers and returned with a trove of scientific data that included a large number of photographs, a topographical survey of a portion of the high glacier basins, new altimetric measurements and meteorological data, new glaciological and geological observations, as well as the experience of long duration at low atmospheric pressure by both Europeans and natives.

Sella had already accompanied the Duke on expeditions to Alaska and Uganda, and once again the Duke wanted no one but Sella on the Karakoram expedition, knowing that his photographic record would be unsurpassed. Seven Italian guides and porters were chosen from Courmayeur, in the valley of Aosta, Italy. Sella brought with him Erminio Botta, who acted as assistant photographer, guide and porter, and was familiar with camp life and foreign mountaineering.

This sale of lots from this auction will directly benefit the Appalachian Mountain Club Trails Protection Fund; Conservation Research and Climate Action; and the Modernization and Preservation of the AMC Library and Archives.

Although small in stature (only 5 foot 6 inches, today he would be considered an elite athlete) Sella possessed tremendous strength and endurance. He carried heavy, large-format cameras and glass plates, scaled treacherous slopes, worked in challenging weather conditions, and endured storage conditions that sometimes ruined his negatives. He made photographs with both stereoscopic and handheld Kodak cameras, afterward enlarging his prints by various means. His masterful compositions of sublime peaks captured crisp details and the vast array of tonal ranges enhanced by high-altitude light and shadow. His most celebrated works are large, multi-plate panoramas.

Good: Moderate wear; (l-r) print: 145 moderate abrasions left edge, edge yellowing, wear and abrasions right edge; 146 abrasions yellowing left and right edges; 147 yellow spots and abrasions; yellowing & damage on center of 147 print, mount verso has tape residue and marks.