Alfred Stieglitz

flush-mounted, mounted again, signed, titled, dated, annotated 'With permission An American Place' and 'Kindly return to' in pencil and with the photographer's '509 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y.' stamp and reduction notations in pencil on the mount, numerical and reduction notations in pencil and 'Popular Photography Roto Page' and use date stamps on the reverse, 1884, probably printed in the 1920s or 1930s

The photographer to his niece Georgia Engelhard

Greenough 1515

Georgia Engelhard, 'The Face of Alfred Stieglitz,' Popular Photography, September 1946, Vol. 19, no. 3, p. 53 (this print)

The Amateur Photographer, July 1888, Vol. 7, Special Number, cover

Sadakichi Hartmann, Landscape and Figure Composition (New York, 1910), p. 92, fig. 94

Sadakichi Hartmann, 'Figure Composition,' The Photographic Times, January 1910, Vol. 42, p. 29

This photograph is on neutral-toned paper with a nearly matte surface. It is flush-mounted to thin board, and then mounted again to cream-colored board. This print is typical of those Stieglitz made in the 1930s, when he began reabsorbing selected images from his early years as a photographer into his exhibition repertoire. The print shows some minor wear and losses on the edges and corners. The secondary mount shows soiling from handling on the front and reverse. There are pinholes in each of the mount's four corners.
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.

The photograph in this and the following two lots were originally in the collection of Stieglitz’s beloved niece, Georgia Engelhard.  All three were used to illustrate Engelhard’s memoir of her uncle in Popular Photography magazine, September 1946, shortly after his death. 

Maria, Lake Como, dates from the early years of Stieglitz’s career; it was reproduced in the photographic literature of the day, and Stieglitz included it in many European and American exhibitions through 1899.  The present print was likely made in the 1920s or 1930s, when the photographer began reviewing his early work and reincorporating selected images into his exhibition repertoire.  This image was shown in Stieglitz’s 1934 retrospective exhibition at An American Place.  

In Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set, Sarah Greenough locates only one other print of this image: a gelatin silver print, also made in the 1920s or 1930s, at the National Gallery of Art.  A lantern slide is in the collection of the George Eastman House.