Excavating, New York

1911, printed 1929/1932

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

This is a photograph of a construction scene involving horses and machinery. The image shows a group of horses harnessed to pull a wooden cart, situated on a muddy construction site. The horses are positioned in the foreground, their dark coats gleaming in the light. Behind the horses, an excavator can be seen, the silhouette of its arm casting a shadow against a large brick wall. Other construction elements and materials are scattered around, indicating ongoing work.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 8.6 × 11.4 cm (3 3/8 × 4 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.325

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    126D

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    355

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. 355.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, lower left verso, in graphite: 126 D

Wikidata ID

Q64034837

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