The Dancing Trees

1922

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a close-up view of tree trunks with smooth, glossy bark marked by white horizontal lines. The trunks intersect to create a pattern of overlapping ovals. In the distance, there is a grassy landscape with the horizon subtly implied by the soft focus and tonal variations of the field. The image appears to be a black and white photograph with a dominant color palette of deep blacks and bright whites, along with varying shades of grey. The background features soft forms of leaves and branches, adding depth to the minimalist composition.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    palladium print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 24 x 19 cm (9 7/16 x 7 1/2 in.)
    mount: 51 x 38.8 cm (20 1/16 x 15 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.476

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    23A

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    779

The image shows a man leaning his head on his hand, positioned with his face resting on his left hand. He has a mustache, thin-framed eyeglasses, and thick, greying hair that curls slightly at the edges. He is dressed in a formal jacket, a white shirt, and a black bow tie. The background is a soft, dark blur.

Alfred Stieglitz

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Georgia O'Keeffe; gift to NGA, 1949.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1958

  • Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, March 16–April 27, 1958

1983

  • Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, February 3–May 8, 1983; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, June 17–August 14, 1983; The Art Institute of Chicago, October 18, 1983–January 3, 1984

2001

  • Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2001

Bibliography

1958

  • Bry, Doris. Exhibition of Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1958: no. 73, pl. 12.

1983

  • Greenough, Sarah, and Juan Hamilton. Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings. Washington, 1983: no. 107, pl. 51.

2000

  • Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001: no. 90.

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 779.

Wikidata ID

Q64035015

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Stieglitz Collections

A corresponding print was given to the following institution(s) by Alfred Stieglitz during his lifetime, or was received or acquired from the estate:

The Art Institute of Chicago, 1949.772

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 28.127.7

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 24.1734 (inscribed: The Dancing Trees / 1922)

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 52.1804

Lifetime Exhibitions

A print from the same negative—perhaps a photograph from the Gallery’s collection—appeared in the following exhibition(s) during Alfred Stieglitz’s lifetime:

probably 1923, New York (nos. 92–94, as Trees, 1921–1922)
1930, Cambridge (no. 113, as The Dancing Trees, 1922)
1932, New York (no. 96, as Dancing Trees, 1921)

Lifetime Publications

A reproduction of this work appeared in the following publication(s) during Alfred Stieglitz’s lifetime:

A. K. C. [Ananda K. Coomaraswamy], “A Gift from Mr. Stieglitz,” Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin 22 (April 1924): 14 (ill., Birch Stems)

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