Hasemann's Studio Possibly 1894 - 1896

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, Hasemann's Studio. Photography, by its nature, is tied to the means of production. Here, Stieglitz captures the tools and setting of another artist. The image gives us a glimpse into the working life of someone engaged in a very different mode of making, that of painting, but it's important to remember that both activities, photography and painting, are reliant on both skilled labor and the consumption of material. The photograph's tonal range, its texture, and its depth, all depend on the manipulation of light and chemicals, a process that, like painting, demands precision and control. In the end, what we see in this work is not only a portrait of a studio, but also a statement about the nature of artistic work itself. It challenges traditional hierarchies between photography and painting, highlighting the labor and technical skill inherent in both.