Weary

1890, printed 1895/1896

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a young girl lying down against a bundle of gathered sticks or firewood. Her head is resting against her hand, and her eyes are closed. She has a serene expression and is wearing a dark-colored blouse, a light-colored skirt, and a dotted headscarf. She is barefoot on the grass, with trees in the distance.

Media Options

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    platinum print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 14.7 x 20.3 cm (5 13/16 x 8 in.)
    page size: 27 x 33.8 cm (10 5/8 x 13 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.68

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    61B

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more
  • Key Set Number

    62

Associated Artworks

See all 30 artworks
The image displays a close-up portrait of a person's face, capturing the head and some of the upper torso. The person is positioned at a slight angle, with their face turned slightly towards the camera. Their facial features include full lips, an oval face, and large, expressive eyes. Their hair is styled in soft waves that frame their face. The person is wearing a thick, draped garment that covers their shoulders. There is no visible jewelry or objects in their hands. The background consists of a textured, uneven brick wall.

Marina

Alfred Stieglitz

1887

The image depicts a woman standing outdoors. She is leaning against a dark wooden door, with one arm raised and the other arm resting across her body. The woman has a calm expression with partially closed eyes and her head slightly tilted to the side. She has dark hair partially covered by a long head scarf and is wearing a long plaid dress with long sleeves and a dark shawl draped over her shoulders. The background includes an old, textured brick wall and a window with metal bars next to the door. The overall setting appears vintage, possibly in sepia tones.

The Wanderer's Return

Alfred Stieglitz

1887

This is a photograph of a rustic archway entrance set within an old stone building. The image portrays uneven, textured stonework and a large central archway leading into a darker doorway. Above the entrance, a balcony supported by stonework is adorned with potted plants. Ropes are strung across the building, supporting laundry, and the ground is cobblestone. The scene reflects a sense of history and timelessness, capturing everyday life.

A Nook in Pallanza

Alfred Stieglitz

1887

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

Curious for more Alfred Stieglitz scholarship?

Discover over 1,000 artworks that the artist’s wife Georgia O’Keeffe termed his “Key Set” of prize photographs. Museum scholars have illuminated each work, his career, practices, and lifetime achievements.


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Georgia O'Keeffe; gift to NGA, 1949.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

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

Bibliography

1983

  • Greenough, Sarah, and Juan Hamilton. Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings. Washington, 1983: no. 7.

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 62.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on interleaving tissue, lower right, in graphite: "Weary" / 1890.

Wikidata ID

Q64037663

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photograph was made near Vienna in June 1890 (see The Cosmopolitan 12 [February 1892], 428).

Stieglitz submitted this image to The Amateur Photographer’s “Travelling Studentship Competition” as Weary. The journal notes, “all the negatives are un-retouched, and no cloud negatives are used. They have been taken with a Steinheil Aplanat. The plates used include Obernetter, Eosine, Schlenssn, Perulz (eosine), and Lumière. The developers have been pyro and soda and iron, and the whole of the prints have been produced in platinotype” (see The Amateur Photographer 12 [18 July 1890], 41).

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:

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, YCAL MSS 85, box 126, folder 2494 [platinum] (inscribed: “Weary” / Alfred Stieglitz 1890 —)

Other Collections

A print corresponding with this photograph can also be found in the following collection(s):

Andrew Cahan: Bookseller, Ltd

National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2006.3.1.21

Location unknown [lantern slide]

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:

1890, London, Gallery of the Society of Painters in Water Colours (no. 299, as Weary)
1891, Hartford (no. 79, as Weary (Near Vienna))
1891, New York, Fourth Annual Joint Exhibition (no. 301, as Weary)
1891, New York, Society of Amateur Photographers (no. 218, as Weary)
1891, New York, The Society of Amateur Photographers of New York (as Weary, lantern slide)
1892, New York, The Society of Amateur Photographers of New York (as Weary, lantern slide)
1892, Boston (no. 314, as Weary)
1894, Toronto
1899, New York (no. 11, as Weary, 1890, platinum direct)

Lifetime Publications

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

“Art in Photographs,” The Sun (24 May 1891): 16 (ill., Weary)

Clarence B. Moore, “Leading Amateurs in Photography,” The Cosmopolitan 12:4 (February 1892): opp. 428 (ill., Weary)

“Some Examples of the Work of Alfred Stieglitz, Amateur Photographer,” Frank Leslie’s Weekly 74 (3 March 1892): 76 (ill., Weary)

Alexander Black, “The Photographic Beginner,” The American Amateur Photographer 4:10 (October 1892): 442 (ill., Weary)

Marmaduke Humphrey, “Triumphs in Amateur Photography,” Godey’s Magazine 135 (December 1897): 589 (ill., Weary)

Charles De Kay, “The Photographer as Artist,” The New York Times Illustrated Magazine (4 June 1899): 6 (ill., Weary)

Theodore Dreiser, “A Master of Photography,” Success Magazine 2 (10 June 1899): 471 (ill., Weary)


You may be interested in

Loading Results