In 1955, Edward Steichen selected Adams's "Mount Williamson" for the world-touring Museum of Modern Art exhibition "The Family of Man", which was seen by nine million visitors. At , his was the largest print in the exhibition, presented floor-to-ceiling in a prominent position as the backdrop to the section "Relationships", as a reminder of the essential reliance of humanity on the soil. However, despite its striking and prominent display, Adams expressed displeasure at the "gross" enlargement and "poor" quality of the print.