Georgia O'Keeffe and Waldo Frank 1920

Alfred Stieglitz created this silvery gelatin print of Georgia O'Keeffe and Waldo Frank sometime in the early 20th century. The water ripples and blurs the boundaries between bodies, drawing a shared space. You can feel the coolness of the water, how it embraces the figures, who are captured in a candid, vulnerable moment. O'Keeffe stands with her back to us, a study in quiet strength, while Frank smiles towards the camera. Her hand rests on Frank's head. Is she blessing him? Or is it possessive? I imagine Stieglitz stepping into the water, camera in hand, drawn to the light playing across the water's surface, but also, the charged dynamic between these two figures. Stieglitz was deeply interested in capturing not just likeness, but the essence of a person, their spirit. Much like his close-up images of O’Keeffe’s hands, the gesture here speaks volumes.