Currently not on view
Winter on Fifth Avenue,
1897
Alfred Stieglitz, 1864–1946; born Hoboken, NJ; died New York, NY; active New York
x1982-22 a
These two images are landmarks in the development of intentionally artistic photography. Stieglitz printed these as photogravures not only because the mechanical etching technique conveyed a breadth of tone and clarity of detail, but also because the complexity of the process called attention to his artistry. By claiming "Winter" and the "Reflections" of gas lamps as his photographs’ titles, Stieglitz made a bold claim that photography could serve artistic as well as documentary purposes. Although Winter on Fifth Avenue was originally horizontal, Stieglitz cropped it vertically to dramatize the carriage’s dynamic movement toward the viewer. Like the adjacent Hassam painting, Stieglitz’s explorations of the effects of light and weather elevated New York City street scenes into evocative formal studies.
Information
Title
Winter on Fifth Avenue
Dates
1897
Maker
Medium
Photogravure
Dimensions
image: 28 x 21.6 cm. (11 x 8 1/2 in.)
sheet: 49.5 x 40.3 cm. (19 1/2 x 15 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of David H. McAlpin, Class of 1920
Object Number
x1982-22 a
Place Depicted
North America, United States, New York, Manhattan, New York, 5th Avenue
Marks/Labels/Seals
Printed, upper left corner above image: Copyright 1897 by Alfred Stieglitz
Culture
Techniques
- Alfred Stieglitz and W.E. Woodbury, "Picturesque Bits of New York and Other Studies" (New York: R.H. Russell, 1897).
- "Acquisitions of the Art Museum 1982", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 42, no. 1 (1983): p. 50-70., p. 66
- Peter C. Bunnell, "Introduction," in "The Art of Pictoral Photography 1890-1925", special issue, Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 51, no. 2 (1992): 6–9., illustrated p. 6
