A Dirigible

1910, printed 1911

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a view looking upwards towards the sky at what seems to be an early evening or late afternoon setting. There are silhouettes resembling treetops or distant landforms at the bottom of the frame. Above, dense dark clouds partially obscure the sky with outlines of light hinting at the sun behind them. An airship is positioned above and slightly left of center, floating among the clouds. The style is photographic with soft tonal gradations and deep shadow contrasts, creating a dramatic atmosphere. The color palette is monochromatic, using shades of gray and black to focus on light and shadow.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    photogravure

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 17.8 × 17.9 cm (7 × 7 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1278.36

  • Copyright

    Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • Key Set Number

    347

Associated Artworks

See all 16 artworks

Camera Work: Vol.9: Numbers 33, 34/35, 36

Alfred Stieglitz

1911

City of Ambition

Alfred Stieglitz

1910

The image shows a riverside area with a stack of cut logs in the foreground. A railing from a structure is visible on the left. In the background, there is a cityscape silhouette with buildings. A steamship is seen moving across the water with billowing white smoke. The image is characterized by a soft-focus effect, giving it a dream-like quality. The color palette is predominantly soft sepia tones.

The City across the River

Alfred Stieglitz

1910

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

1992

  • Stieglitz in the Darkroom, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 4, 1992–February 14, 1993

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 347.

Wikidata ID

Q64037594

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

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:

1910, Buffalo (no. 438, as The Dirigible, 1910, photogravure)
1913, New York (no. 27, as The Dirigible, 1910)

Lifetime Publications

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

Camera Work 36 (October 1911): pl. 8 (ill., A Dirigible, 1910)

Waldo Frank et al., America & Alfred Stieglitz (New York, 1934): pl. 26b (ill., The Dirigible, 1910)

Note

Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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