Emmy at Oaklawn, Lake George Possibly 1895 - 1896

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, Emmy at Oaklawn, Lake George. At the turn of the 20th century, photography was still fighting for recognition as a legitimate art form. Stieglitz was a key figure in this struggle, championing photography as a medium capable of artistic expression beyond mere documentation. His portraits, like this one, often captured his subjects in soft focus, emphasizing mood and atmosphere over sharp detail. Consider the context in which this image was made. The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of rapid industrialization and urbanization in America. Stieglitz and his circle often sought refuge in nature, idealizing it as a space of tranquility and escape from the pressures of modern life. His images of women in nature, like this one, suggest an interest in exploring the relationship between women, nature, and the changing social roles of women in American society. To fully understand the image, one could delve into the writings of Stieglitz and his contemporaries, exploring the debates around photography's status as art and the cultural anxieties of the time.