The Swimming Lesson

1906, printed 1911

Alfred Stieglitz (editor/publisher) after Various Artists

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows two people in a body of water up to their knees. A young child is positioned slightly in front of an older person, likely an adult, who is leaning forward and holding the child's shoulders gently. The child has short hair and is wearing a swim cap, along with a light-colored bathing suit. The adult has short, wavy hair and is clad in a dark, sleeveless swimsuit. Both individuals are in the water, with the adult appearing to be assisting or steadying the child as they face forward. The boat is visible on the left side of the image, indicating a lake or river setting as the water ripples around them. The background consists of rippling water.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    photogravure

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 14.8 × 23 cm (5 13/16 × 9 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1278.39

  • Copyright

    Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • Key Set Number

    307

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. 307.

Wikidata ID

Q64037831

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

Kitty and an unknown man (possibly Stieglitz) are depicted here.

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. 436, as The Swimming Lesson, Lake George, 1905, bromide)
1913, New York (no. 20, as The Swimming Lesson, Lake George, 1905)

Lifetime Publications

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

Camera Work 36 (October 1911): pl. 11 (ill., The Swimming Lesson, 1906)

Note

Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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