Charles Duncan c. 1916

This is Alfred Stieglitz’s photograph ‘Charles Duncan’ and look at the way Stieglitz has captured light here, it’s almost painterly. There’s such a palpable sense of texture, not just in the fabric of Duncan’s clothes, but in the very air around him. See the way the light catches the edge of his hat, creating a halo effect, and the subtle gradations of tone that give depth to his face. It’s like Stieglitz is using light to sculpt Duncan’s features, revealing the planes and angles of his face. And that bow tie! A small, dark flourish of elegance against the backdrop of workaday clothes. It's this subtle detail, this quiet gesture, that elevates the photograph beyond a simple portrait. It reminds me of some of the early modernist painters who were trying to capture the essence of a person, not just their likeness. It’s about feeling, about capturing a moment in time and preserving it for eternity. Like with Edward Steichen, it shows the possibilities of photography as a tool for exploring the inner landscape of the human spirit. It’s not just about what we see, but what we feel when we look at it.