Georgia Engelhard 1920 - 1922

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, Georgia Engelhard, using photographic processes that were still relatively new at the time. Photography, of course, isn't really a craft in the traditional sense, but it does depend on very precise manipulation of materials. Here, the film and the chemicals used to develop it. These materials yield a soft focus, capturing Georgia with an almost dreamlike quality. The photograph makes clear that Stieglitz was interested in the effect of the material on the image. The lighting is handled so skillfully, the textures of skin and cotton shirt are tangible. The rise of photography had huge implications. It democratized image-making, taking it away from the hands of the few who could paint or sculpt. Stieglitz advocated for photography as a fine art. But like other modernists, he was also fascinated by the means of production. He saw the artistic potential in the everyday, the mass-produced. It is a concept that continues to challenge the boundaries between art and life.