Sun Rays—Paula, Berlin

1889, printed 1929/1937

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a woman sitting at a table, seen from the side, with her upper body visible. She is sitting facing to the left, bent over slightly, writing or reading on the table. Her hair is styled in an updo, and she appears to be wearing a hat. Her facial features are partially obscured due to the angle and lighting but seem to be focused on the task at hand. The woman is wearing a dark dress that appears to have a high collar and details like lace at the collar and cuffs. A candle holder, a framed picture, and an inkpot are on the table, covered with a tablecloth. Behind her, several photographs and mementos are pinned to the wall, and there is a birdcage mounted on the wall. The room is dimly lit from a window on the left, casting shadows across the room, including the woman and the table.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 22.7 x 17 cm (8 15/16 x 6 11/16 in.)
    mount: 50.2 x 37 cm (19 3/4 x 14 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.58

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    55E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    61

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

1992

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

Bibliography

1958

  • Bry, Doris. Exhibition of Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1958: pl. 1.

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 61.

Inscriptions

by Doris Bry, on mount, lower left verso, in graphite: 55 E

Wikidata ID

Q64034666

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, 1949.698

George Eastman Museum, Rochester, 74:0052:0040

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 50.822 (inscribed: “Paula—Sun Rays”—Berlin, 1887 / by Alfred Stieglitz / 90)

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 324.1942

Other Collections

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

Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 74-07-001 (inscribed, Paula—Sun Rays—1889 / by Alfred Stieglitz —)

Kunsthaus Zürich, Ph.Inv. 1989/60 (inscribed: Alfred Stieglitz / For Edward Dahlberg)

Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1997-146-97 (inscribed: Paula [1889] / Berlin / For Dorothy— / M’ch 25—1942 / Alfred)

Private collection

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