Yellow Leaves and Asters, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico, September 20, 1950

An avid nature photographer, Eliot Porter helped to pioneer technologies of color printing. He is best known for vibrant three-color dye imbibition prints of nature scenes and cultural landmarks, published in books and portfolios in partnership with the Sierra Club. Hugh Edwards featured Porter’s work in a 1963 exhibition that seems to have cemented his impressions of color photography, which was at this point largely reserved for commercial purposes. “At last I can feel certain,” the curator wrote to Porter, “that great photographs can be made in color—something I was skeptical about for so long.” The following year, the museum acquired 21 prints.