Team Norsigian Claims to Have Located the Man Who Sold the "Lost Negatives" and Debunked Uncle Earl Theory

Beverly Hills, CA, August 16, 2010 --(PR.com)-- On Saturday, August 7, Rick Norsigian returned to the Fresno, California residence where he made the purchase that would forever change his life. Norsigian’s visit to the site of the garage sale, and his ensuing conversation with the man who sold him the negatives for $45, may put the “Uncle Earl Theory,” one vehemently advanced by the Adams Publishing Rights Trust, finally to rest.

Norsigian indicated that the individuals at the Fresno home told him that Irving Schwartz, the man who held the garage sale, no longer resided there. Norsigian was able to obtain his phone number and called. “Are you the man we sold those negatives to?” the voice on the phone asked. The voice, however, was that of Schwartz’s estranged wife, according to Norsigian who told Norsigian that she would have Schwartz call him back.

Three days later, on August 10, 81 year-old Irving Schwartz and Rick Norsigian had their second encounter in almost a decade. Over the phone, Schwartz and Norsigian recapped the conversation that they had at the time of the sale, almost 10 years ago. Norsigian stated that Schwartz reconfirmed to him that he had obtained the negatives from a person in Southern California, who had purchased them at a warehouse sale. Schwartz, however, was unwilling to divulge any additional details, Norsigian indicated, that might, according to Schwartz, help quell doubts as to the origin of the negatives. “The conversation lasted about 10 minutes, but the bottom line is that Schwartz wants to be paid before revealing any additional facts,” Norsigian stated.

When contacted by a member of Norsigian’s team who describes Schwartz as “polite but painfully practical,” Schwartz stated he had information that would prove “without a doubt” who he (Schwartz) obtained the negatives from. When asked if he had a receipt or invoice, Schwartz stated that he did not, and that he “bartered for the negatives” in exchange for a statue that he was selling as part of his business (manufacturing figurines, furniture, trinkets and the like). “To be honest, I didn’t even know who Ansel Adams was when I sold the negatives to Rick,” Schwartz admitted to a member of the Norsigian team.

Upon further inquiry, Schwartz revealed that he purchased the negatives from “a person in Huntington Beach with a large family,” but was clear that he would say nothing more without being “compensated for information.” Mr. Schwartz stated to the member of the Norsigian team who contacted him that a reporter from the Fresno Bee came to his house to learn more about the sale and that he told them “nothing.”

“We have not offered Mr. Schwartz compensation of any form, nor would we ever offer results-based compensation for information, whether it be from an expert or otherwise,” Arnold Peter, Mr. Norsigian's attorney confirmed. Until now, experts have only been compensated to render their objective opinions and “any future efforts to have the negatives authenticated will be for the sole purpose of uncovering the truth,” Mr. Peter stated.

"The significance of this information is two-fold," Norsigian declared. "First, it confirms that the negatives were in fact purchased in Southern California," said Norsigian. "More importantly, in light of the geographic distance, it makes it unlikely that the negatives were ever part of any works created by Earl Brooks, as there is no indication that he ever lived in Southern California," Norsigian concluded.

###