A Bit of Venice
1894, printed 1895/1896
Medium
platinum print
Dimensions
image: 10.5 × 15.3 cm (4 1/8 × 6 in.) page size: 34 × 27.3 cm (13 3/8 × 10 3/4 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2006.3.1.23
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
The photograph presents a tranquil canal in Venice, viewed from water level. Several gondolas rest along the stone embankments, their dark forms mirrored in the still water. Weathered buildings with balconies, shuttered windows, and patches of exposed brick rise on either side, leading the eye toward a low bridge in the distance. The platinum print renders these elements in soft, silvery tones, with subtle gradations of light and shadow that emphasize the textures of aged stone and rippling reflections. Alfred Stieglitz made the image in 1894 and printed it as a platinum photograph between 1895 and 1896. At this early stage of his career, he was already exploring how photography could convey atmosphere and mood with the same sensitivity as painting or drawing. The delicate tonal range of the platinum process suited his interest in capturing fleeting impressions of place. Titled “A Bit of Venice,” the work belongs to the National Gallery of Art’s collection through the Patrons’ Permanent Fund. It remains a quiet example of Stieglitz’s ability to transform an ordinary urban waterway into a study of light, reflection, and time.
About the Artist
Alfred Stieglitz · 1864–1946
Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) was a pioneering American photographer, art dealer, publisher, and advocate for the Modernist movement who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to German Jewish immigrant parents, Stieglitz spent his formative years studying mechanical engineering in Berlin, where he discovered photography in ...