Elizabeth (Peggy) and Sue Davidson 1930

Alfred Stieglitz made this silver print photograph, Elizabeth (Peggy) and Sue Davidson, date unknown, and what strikes me about it is the texture. It's a small picture, just bigger than a playing card, but it feels monumental. I can imagine Stieglitz in the darkroom, coaxing this image out of the chemicals. He's working with light, shadow, and all those in-between grey zones. Look how the light plays on the girls' faces. The tonal range isn't that high, but he creates such a strong contrast between the light and dark areas, especially around the eyes and the knitted sweaters. It gives the whole thing this tactile, almost sculptural feel. It makes me think about other photographers, like Paul Strand, who were also playing with these ideas of texture and form. And it's like they're all in conversation, these artists from different eras, bouncing ideas off each other, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways. Each photograph is a moment of embodied expression that leaves space for the unexpected.