Door to Shanty, Lake George

1934/1937

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image displays a rustic wooden cabin, emphasizing the weathered textures of the wood. The focus is on the side of the cabin that occupies the right half of the image, showing a single door in the center framed by dark lines of the logs. To the left, a wooden fence post and a barren tree branch are visible, with some leaves suggesting summer or late spring growth. In the distance, soft leaves are seen, contributing to the natural setting. The photo is in black and white, creating a timeless feel, with contrast between dark shadows and lighter wood grain. The grass grows sparsely at the base of the building, enhancing the overall rustic and somewhat abandoned aesthetic.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.6 × 9.2 cm (4 9/16 × 3 5/8 in.)
    mount: 31.8 × 25.3 cm (12 1/2 × 9 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.824

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    238E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    1557

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

2016

  • Georgia O'Keeffe, Tate Modern, London, July 6–October 30, 2016; Bank Austria Kunstforum, Vienna, December 7, 2016–March 26, 2017; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, April 22–July 30, 2017

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 1557.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 238E

Wikidata ID

Q64035837

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photograph depicts the door to O’Keeffe’s studio, the Shanty, in front of which Stieglitz photographed O’Keeffe in 1920 (see Key Set number 658). The dead tree branch, which extends across the doorway, suggests that she had not used it for some time. After 1932 O’Keeffe made few paintings at Lake George. Her prolonged absences from Lake George during the summers beginning in 1934 suggest a date between 1934 and 1937.

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