Songs of the Sky

1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a view looking up at the night sky. The horizon is not visible, with dramatic clouds filling the expanse. The moon is partially obscured by clouds on the left side, acting as a focal point. The rest of the image is dominated by cloudy formations framing the sky. The black-and-white style creates sharp contrasts, emphasizing the light areas of the moon and clouds against the dark sky. The color palette is monochromatic, with varying shades of gray creating a high-contrast effect. The illuminated clouds stand out against the dark sky, almost forming curtains opening to the celestial sky.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 11.7 x 9.3 cm (4 5/8 x 3 11/16 in.)
    sheet: 13.8 x 9.8 cm (5 7/16 x 3 7/8 in.)
    mount: 34.2 x 27.5 cm (13 7/16 x 10 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.839

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    162C

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    926

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. 2, cat. 926.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, upper center verso, in graphite, underlined: Top; lower left verso: "Songs of the Sky" / 1923
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 162C

Wikidata ID

Q64035871

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:

George Eastman Museum, Rochester, 74:0052:0011 (oriented 90° clockwise)

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