Alfred Stieglitz

large-format photogravure on tissue, matted, 1907, printed in 1911

Collection of Dorothy Norman

Swann Galleries, 29 October 1989, Sale 1510, Lot 437

Acquired by the Quillan Company from the above

Jill Quasha, The Quillan Collection of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Photographs (New York, 1991), pl. 34 (this print)

Other prints of The Steerage:

Greenough 310

Camera Work Number 36 (1911)

Dorothy Norman, Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer (Aperture, 1973), pl. XVI; Aperture edition, p. 65

Sarah Greenough, Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries (Washington, D. C.: National Gallery of Art, 2000, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 30

Sarah Greenough and Juan Hamilton, Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings (Washington, D. C.: National Gallery of Art, 1983, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 18

Therese Mulligan, ed., The Photography of Alfred Stieglitz: Georgia O'Keeffe's Enduring Legacy (Rochester: George Eastman House, 2000), fig. 9

William Innes Homer, Stieglitz and the American Avant-Garde (Boston, 1977), pl. 34

Robert Doty, Photo-Secession: Photography as a Fine Art (Rochester: George Eastman House, 1960), pl. I

Waldo Frank, et al., America and Alfred Stieglitz (New York, 1934), pl. XXVII - B

Doris Bry, Alfred Stieglitz: Photographer (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1995, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 8

Jonathan Green, ed., Camera Work: A Critical Anthology (Aperture, 1973), p. 307

Beaumont Newhall, The History of Photography from 1839 to the Present Day (The Museum of Modern Art, 1964), p. 112

Barbara Haskell, The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-1950 (New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1999, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 94

Martha A. Sandweiss, Masterworks of American Photography: The Amon Carter Museum Collection (Birmingham, 1982), pl. 74

This photogravure is printed on thin warm-white tissue and is in essentially excellent condition. When the print is examined very closely in raking light, a number of areas can be seen on its surface that are slightly glossy. This may be due to direct contact with framing glass at some point in the past, and is very difficult to see, even when the print is closely scrutinized. It has no real impact upon the appearance of the print. In the upper right corner of the print, there is what may be a faint crease that occurred during printing, or an inconsistency in the tissue itself. In either case, this insignificant imperfection is not immediately apparent. There is a tiny pinprick on the paper in the upper portion of the image that appears to be surrounded by old retouching - this is visible only upon close examination. The print is attached to its backboard with two small pieces of what appears to be linen tape affixed to the print's reverse. This has caused some slight puckering in the top margin.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This large-format photogravure of The Steerage comes originally from the collection of photographer and writer Dorothy Norman.  Norman first met Stieglitz in 1927, when she was 17 years old, at Stieglitz's Intimate Gallery.  She became fascinated with Stieglitz and his work, and the two became lovers.  In 1973, Norman published Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer, a memoir of her years with the photographer.

Of The Steerage, Stieglitz commented, 'If all my photographs were lost and I were represented only by The Steerage, that would be quite all right.'