The Street - Design for a Poster

Accession Number
1974/1.258

Title
The Street - Design for a Poster

Artist(s)
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1900-1901

Medium & Support
photogravure on paper

Dimensions
7 in x 5 1/4 in (17.78 cm x 13.34 cm);19 3/8 in x 14 3/8 in (49.21 cm x 36.51 cm);118 1/2 in x 8 1/4 in (300.99 cm x 20.96 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Label copy
As Stieglitz photographed New York’s transformation into the modern cosmopolitan center, he spent much time working at the street level. He undertook challenges photographing the city under adverse conditions, in rain, in snow, and at night. In some instances, Stieglitz’s original negative included a much larger scene than was finally reproduced. A strong appreciation of Japanese aesthetics can be found in this image. The white expanse of the snowy street to the left is balanced by the dark silhouettes of the horse-drawn cab and tree to the right. This beautifully balanced composition is further enhanced by the overlay of Japanese rice paper that frames the image.
Carole McNamara, Assistant Director for Collections & Exhibitions
on the occasion of the exhibition New York Observed: The Mythology of the City
(July 13 – September 22, 2003)

Subject matter
In this photograph, horses pull carraiges up and down the street as one figure walks toward the camera on the sidewalk. Due to the soft focus and snowy weather, the scene is rendered in soft tones, resulting in an idyllic scene of city life. This photograph depicts at cityscape at 30th Street and Fifth Avenue, close to Savoy Hotel, where Alfred Stieglitz resided with his wife at that time, Emmeline Obermeyer. Stieglitz used a Bausch & Lomb Extra Rapid Universal lens to take this photograph and won the grand prize of $300 in the “Bausch & Lomb Quarter-Century Competition” in 1903. It was the first of his photographs published in his publication Camera Work and went on to be exhibited many times in the United States and Europe.

Physical Description
A winter city scene with figures walking on snow-covered streets and riding horse-drawn carriages. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Equus (genus)
architecture genres
buildings
carriages (vehicles)
cart
cities
fences
horse-drawn vehicles
horses
modern and contemporary art
posters
snow
streets
walking
winter

5 Related Resources

Art of interest to Judaic Studies
(Part of 3 Learning Collections)
New York City
(Part of 3 Learning Collections)
The Modern Metropolis
(Part of 7 Learning Collections)
PAST: F18 - Zurier December Study Case
(Part of 2 Learning Collections)
Jewish Photographers 
(Part of: Ethnicity and Race)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted