Untitled (World War I photographs)

About this artwork

Edward Steichen was one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century—a pioneering champion of art photography and an innovator in fashion and commercial photography. Lesser known, however, is his important role in World War I, as chief of the Photographic Section of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) from 1917 to 1919. Steichen, who had come to regard France as a second homeland after living there from 1906 to 1914, was quick to enlist once the United Statesa officially entered...

Art Historical Context

Edward Steichen's *Untitled (World War I)* is a poignant album of 83 gelatin silver prints, captured in 1918–19 and assembled in 1919 As a pioneering photographer who transitioned from Pictorialism's soft-focus aesthetic to sharp modernism, Steichen served as Photographer for the U.S. Navy's section during World War I.ed in France, he documented the war's aerial reconnaissance, aircraft, and ground operations, creating an invaluable visual record of the conflict's technological and human dimensions. The gelatin silver print medium, popular in the early 20th century for its rich tonal range and crisp detail, allowed Steichen to capture the stark realities of war with unprecedented clarity. Assembling these images into an album shortly after the Armistice underscores their role as both personal archive and historical testament, bridging documentary photography's emergence as a fine art. Held in the Art Institute of Chicago's Photography and Media department, this work highlights photography's evolution from artistic impressionism to objective truth-telling. It invites visitors to reflect on the war's legacy through Steichen's masterful lens, revealing the beauty and brutality of a world forever changed.

About the Artist

Edward Steichen · 1879–1973

Edward Steichen (1879–1973) was a Luxembourgish-American photographer, painter, and museum curator who was one of the most influential figures in the history of photography. Born Eduard Jean Steichen in Bivange, Luxembourg, he emigrated with his family to the United States as a child and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Steichen's early career was defined by Pictorialism — the movement to establi...