Georgia O'Keeffe 1921

Alfred Stieglitz captured this image of Georgia O’Keeffe with his camera. It’s a starkly intimate, yet oddly detached portrait. Stieglitz made many images of O’Keeffe; this one invites us to think about the power dynamics inherent in the act of photographing a lover, and the gaze that frames her. During the early 20th century, debates about women's roles in society were intensifying, and O’Keeffe, who was still quite young, became a symbol of the “New Woman”—independent, creative, and challenging traditional gender norms. Stieglitz renders O’Keeffe with a soft focus that evokes a sense of vulnerability. Her gaze is averted, lost in thought, or perhaps something else entirely, leaving us wondering about her internal world. Are we, the viewers, invited into a private moment, or are we positioned as voyeurs? This question makes us consider the complex interplay between artist, muse, and audience, and the ways in which identity is constructed and perceived through the lens of art and desire.