Wash Day, Venice

probably 1894, printed 1929/1934

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

This is a photograph of a street scene with drying laundry hanging outside. The image shows an outdoor setting, with clothing strung across a line in front of an old building facade. The walls are weathered and exhibit a combination of exposed bricks and faded plaster. There are two wooden doors marked by visible address numbers, and the ground is paved with stone tiles. Two figures in traditional long skirts are attending to the laundry, adding a dynamic element to the scene. The photograph captures a moment of everyday life, reflecting a sense of domesticity and routine.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 8.9 x 11.4 cm (3 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.)
    sheet: 10 x 15.1 cm (3 15/16 x 5 15/16 in.)
    mount: 31.5 x 24.7 cm (12 3/8 x 9 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.128

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    106E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    165

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

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 165.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, lower left verso, in graphite: 106E
by later hand, on mount, lower right verso, in graphite: D

Wikidata ID

Q64034706

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Other Collections

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

Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1995-2-3 [lantern slide] (inscribed: Wash Day. Venice. 1894)

Lifetime Publications

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

Alfred Stieglitz, “The Hand Camera—Its Present Importance,” The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1897 (New York, 1896): 20 (ill., Wash Day, Venice)

W. I. Lincoln Adams, ed., Sunlight and Shadow (New York, 1897): 70 (ill., Wash-Day, Venice)

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