Carson City man’s celebrity, president collection featured in auction

Name a celebrity, prominent public figure or president over the past 90 years and chances are Charles Adams has photographed that person.

“You name them, I’ve photographed them,” said the Carson City resident.

Adams’ collection of 225 pieces of photographs — many of them autographed — and memorabilia will be available for purchase during a live online auction held by Reno’s Holabird Western Americana. The auction will be held Oct. 2, beginning at 8 a.m.

A list of celebrities who Adams has photographed is a Who’s Who of Hollywood over the last 90 years, including: Brigette Bardot, Sophia Loren, Ann-Margaret, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Margaret O’Brien, Debbie Reynolds, James Coburn, Jack Lemon, Jean Claude Van Damme, Farah Faucet, Madonna and Clint Eastwood.

Among the public figures Adams has photographed include Prince Charles, Grace Kelly and Howard Hughes.

Two of Adams most famous photographs will be offered in the auction: A smiling Marlon Brando and a contemplating Muhammed Ali.

Memorabilia and photographs from presidents Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama will be featured. Adams hosted Obama in his Carson City home in 2007.

An autographed letter Adams has from Hoover and a letter Adams has from Nixon when Nixon was a Senator have been included in the auction.

Also included is Adams’ collection of Rudy Vallee, including a project in which Vallee worked with Orson Welles and from the end of Vallee’s life in the 1980s when Adams was Vallee’s photographer.

For a look at Adams collection to be offered in the auction, visit http://bid.holabirdamericana.com/Million-Dollar-Auction_as38839_p3. Holabird Western Americana is located at 3555 Airway Dr., Suite No. 308 in Reno. For more information, visit http://holabirdamericana.com or call 775-851-1859