Venice
1894, printed 1920/39
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/paper/first mount: 9.2 × 11.8 cm (3 5/8 × 4 11/16 in.); Second mount: 37.5 × 27.7 cm (14 13/16 × 10 15/16 in.)
Classification
gelatin silver (developing-out-paper) pr
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
66294
Art Historical Context
Alfred Stieglitz's *Venice* (1894, printed 1920/39) captures the enchanting Italian city during the photographer's formative European travels. Taken when Stieglitz was just 30, this intimate gelatin silver print—measuring a modest 9.2 × 11.8 cm on its original mount—evokes the misty of Venice's canals and, showcasing his early mastery of light and atmosphere. As a pioneer of American photography, Stiegl championed the medium as fine art through his gallery "291" and publications like *Camera Work*. This image, from his Pictorialist phase, reflects his shift toward expressive, painterly photog...
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 ...