The Letterbox Possibly 1894 - 1897

Alfred Stieglitz made this photogravure, called 'The Letterbox', using a photograph that he took while travelling in Europe. At first glance, this image shows two young girls posting a letter. But the scene is rendered in soft focus and the overall effect is atmospheric and mysterious. The girls' bare feet and traditional dress suggests a rural setting, perhaps in Germany or Austria. Stieglitz was a key figure in the Photo-Secession movement, which argued that photography should be considered a fine art, just like painting or sculpture. He and other photographers associated with the movement used soft focus and experimented with printing techniques to give their photographs a painterly quality. In doing so, they challenged the idea that photography was simply a mechanical process for recording reality. Instead, they asserted the photographer's ability to create art through their own vision and technique. Studying Stieglitz's work with reference to other art photography of the time, alongside the manifestos and records of photographic societies, helps us to understand the politics of the art world at the turn of the 20th century.