From the Back-Window—291—Wall Closing In

1916

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows an urban cityscape with a slightly elevated point of view. The view is of rooftops with taller buildings in the distance. A steel framework of a construction project dominates the central part of the view. On the right, there is a tall building with fire escape staircases and a faded advertisement for "Le Marquis Apartment Hotel." To the left, there are more established buildings with decorative architectural details. The scene includes the tops of trees. The photograph is in black and white, emphasizing textures and architectural details. The view suggests a bustling city life with a mix of completed and under-construction buildings.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    platinum print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 23.5 × 19 cm (9 1/4 × 7 1/2 in.)
    sheet: 25.2 × 20 cm (9 15/16 × 7 7/8 in.)
    mount: 50.8 × 35.1 cm (20 × 13 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.402

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    96B

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    427

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

Bibliography

1958

  • Bry, Doris. Exhibition of Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1958: no. 26.

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 427.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, center verso, in graphite: 1916
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, lower left verso, in graphite: 96 B

Wikidata ID

Q64034914

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

For more information about this photograph, see Key Set number 426.

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:

possibly 1921, New York (no. 53, as Wall Closing In, 1915, from the series “From the Back-Window—291”)

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