Richard Stefani (1933–2022)
From Before the Water Rose: Celilo Falls, 1956
There is almost no empty space in this photograph.
People, timber, nets, rocks, water and sky overlap one another from foreground to distance.
At the upper right, a fisherman leans over the edge of a platform with a long-handled net. Below him, others occupy platforms closer to the water. Across the falls, more wooden structures extend between the rocks. The railroad bridge traces a horizontal line through the distance.
Richard Stefani has photographed an entire working environment.
It would have been easy to make this scene picturesque. Instead, Richard embraced its complexity.
That choice matters.
Celilo Falls was not merely something to look at. It was a place in use. Generations of accumulated knowledge were embedded in where platforms were constructed, where fishermen positioned themselves, how nets were handled, and how people moved through a landscape dominated by powerful water.
The photograph also helps correct an easy misconception about historic places. We often encounter them after the people have disappeared, as landscapes, ruins, or markers.
Richard encountered Celilo while it was alive with activity.
His camera preserves that distinction.
The result is not a photograph of what had been.
It is a photograph of what was.
Estate Edition
Printed from Richard Stefani's original 1956 color negative.
Chromogenic photographic print on Fuji Crystal Archive DP II paper, produced in Germany and mounted under matte, reflection-reducing acrylic glass with aluminum Dibond backing. Presented in a handcrafted Basel black oak floater frame. Ready to hang.
Each work is accompanied by Richard Stefani Estate documentation recording the photograph, edition number, edition size, production specifications, and provenance.
10 × 10 in.
Edition of 25
$1,500
20 × 20 in.
Edition of 15
$3,200
30 × 30 in.
Edition of 10
$6,500
Edition sizes are fixed and will not be increased.
Richard Stefani (1933–2022)
From Before the Water Rose: Celilo Falls, 1956
There is almost no empty space in this photograph.
People, timber, nets, rocks, water and sky overlap one another from foreground to distance.
At the upper right, a fisherman leans over the edge of a platform with a long-handled net. Below him, others occupy platforms closer to the water. Across the falls, more wooden structures extend between the rocks. The railroad bridge traces a horizontal line through the distance.
Richard Stefani has photographed an entire working environment.
It would have been easy to make this scene picturesque. Instead, Richard embraced its complexity.
That choice matters.
Celilo Falls was not merely something to look at. It was a place in use. Generations of accumulated knowledge were embedded in where platforms were constructed, where fishermen positioned themselves, how nets were handled, and how people moved through a landscape dominated by powerful water.
The photograph also helps correct an easy misconception about historic places. We often encounter them after the people have disappeared, as landscapes, ruins, or markers.
Richard encountered Celilo while it was alive with activity.
His camera preserves that distinction.
The result is not a photograph of what had been.
It is a photograph of what was.
Estate Edition
Printed from Richard Stefani's original 1956 color negative.
Chromogenic photographic print on Fuji Crystal Archive DP II paper, produced in Germany and mounted under matte, reflection-reducing acrylic glass with aluminum Dibond backing. Presented in a handcrafted Basel black oak floater frame. Ready to hang.
Each work is accompanied by Richard Stefani Estate documentation recording the photograph, edition number, edition size, production specifications, and provenance.
10 × 10 in.
Edition of 25
$1,500
20 × 20 in.
Edition of 15
$3,200
30 × 30 in.
Edition of 10
$6,500
Edition sizes are fixed and will not be increased.
