Ida O'Keeffe 1924

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph of Ida O’Keeffe, probably in the early 20th century, with a camera. The way Stieglitz plays with light here, it feels like he’s not just documenting a person, but capturing a mood, a fleeting expression. Look at how the light catches the soft fur of her stole, almost blurring the edges. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it, about the textures he was trying to evoke, the softness, the warmth? It's like he's painting with light, softening the image. Then your eye is drawn to her smile. It’s not a big, theatrical grin, but a subtle, knowing curve of the lips, like she’s in on a secret. Stieglitz was a master of capturing intimacy and the essence of a person. You get a similar effect with Edward Steichen, who knew Stieglitz and adopted some of the same photographic techniques. It makes you think about how artists are always in conversation, responding to each other, and pushing the boundaries of what art can be.