Pepper No. 30

Edward Weston’s photograph recasts a modest pepper as a surprisingly rich and subtle sculptural object. The photographer had begun creating close-up images of fruits, vegetables, and shells about ten years before and continuously refined his approach to lighting them, ultimately placing a pepper in the mouth of a large tin funnel to produce Pepper No. 30. In 1937, Weston was the first photographer to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, which was renewed the following year. This support allowed him to travel throughout California and the western United States in 1937 and 1938.