Outward Bound, The Mauretania
1910, printed 1918/32
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/paper/first mount: 11.3 × 9.1 cm (4 1/2 × 3 5/8 in.); Second mount: 31.5 × 24.2 cm (12 7/16 × 9 9/16 in.)
Classification
gelatin silver (developing-out-paper) pr
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
66306
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
For more on the Alfred Stieglitz collection at the Art Institute, along with in-depth object information, please visit the website: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection.
Art Historical Context
Alfred Stieglitz's *Outward Bound, The Mauretania* (1910, printed 1918/32) captures a majestic moment in early 20th-century transatlantic travel. This gelatin silver print depicts the RMS Mauretania, Cunard's legendary ocean liner, slicing through New York Harbor as it heads out to sea. Stieglitz, a pioneering photographer and advocate for the medium as fine art, photographed the ship's powerful bow wave from a dramatic low angle, emphasizing its scale and forward momentum. Printed later on developing-out-paper, the image reveals crisp details and rich tonal range typical of this versatile process, which became a staple in modernist photography. The Mauretania symbolized an era of rapid technological advancement and mass migration, holding the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossings from 1909 to 1929. Stieglitz's work reflects America's industrial optimism and the romance of ocean voyages, bridging Pictorialist softness with his emerging "straight photography" ethos—prioritizing unmanipulated reality over artistic embellishment. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Photography and Media department, this compact 11.3 × 9.1 cm print (on larger mounts) invites viewers to ponder how photography documented modernity's triumphs. Stieglitz's vision helped legitimize the camera's lens in museums, making this a cornerstone of photo history.
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 ...