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The Flatiron, New York, from the portfolio Edward Steichen: The Early Years, 1900–1927

Artist/Maker (American, born in Luxembourg, 1879–1973)
Date1905, printed 1981
MediumPhotogravure
DimensionsImage: 12 13/16 × 10 3/16 in. (32.5 × 25.8 cm)
Plate: 12 15/16 × 10 9/16 in. (32.8 × 26.8 cm)
Sheet: 20 1/16 × 16 5/16 in. (51 × 41.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of James G. Lubetkin (OC 1964)
Edition592/1000
PortfolioEdward Steichen: The Early Years, 1900 - 1927
Object number2013.13.15
Status
Not on view
Copyright© 1981 Aperture, Inc., 1996 Aperture Foundation, Inc.More Information
Steichen founded the Photo-Secession group with Alfred Stieglitz, who championed photography as a fine art and established the 291 gallery in New York. They believed that photography was a powerful and expressive visual medium. They embraced a Pictorialist approach, using soft focus, rich tonal contrasts, and carefully arranged compositions to craft an image on par with painting in terms of aesthetic and emotional effect. The Flatiron is a seminal image in the history of American photography, celebrating both the architectural ingenuity of this early skyscraper—completed just three years before this exposure was taken—as well as the artistic sensibilities of the photographer.
Exhibition History
Recent Acquisitions Fall 2014: Process in Prints and Photographs
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 19, 2014 - December 23, 2014 )
Collections
  • Modern & Contemporary