Professor Vogel Possibly 1886 - 1896

Alfred Stieglitz made this photographic portrait of Professor Vogel using the photogravure process, which merges photography with traditional printmaking techniques. The grainy texture comes from etching the image onto a copper plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. This labor-intensive process allows for rich tonal variation, visible in the soft gradations of light on Vogel's face and beard. The photogravure, unlike a standard photograph, elevates the image into a unique, handcrafted object. Stieglitz was part of the Photo-Secession movement, advocating for photography as a fine art. By using photogravure, he aligned photography with established graphic arts like etching and engraving, each with its own long history of skilled practice. This strategy challenged the then-common perception of photography as a purely mechanical, and therefore artistically inferior, medium. Thinking about the materials and techniques used here, we realize that Stieglitz wasn't just capturing an image, but also making a statement about photography's potential for artistic expression.