Fred Varnum
1920
Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to image): 11.1 x 8.8 cm (4 3/8 x 3 7/16 in.) mount: 31.6 x 24.9 cm (12 7/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Alfred Stieglitz Collection
Accession Number
1949.3.451
Art Historical Context
Alfred Stieglitz's *Fred Varnum* (1920) is a striking gelatin silver print portrait, capturing an intimate moment with remarkable clarity and depth. Measuring a modest 11.1 x 8.8 cm on a larger 31.6 x 24.9 cm mount, photograph exemplifies Stieglitz's mastery of the medium during the early 20th century. As a pioneer of modern photography, Stieglitz championed the Photo-Secession movement, for photography as a fine art equal to painting and sculpture. His work often explored human emotion and the nuances of light, transforming everyday subjects into profound artistic statements. Taken in 1920, ...
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 ...