Songs of the Sky A9

1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a view looking up at a dramatic sky with the horizon low in the frame, featuring silhouettes of hills and trees against the sky's contrast. The focus is on voluminous clouds with edges illuminated, creating a backlighting effect. Light shines through gaps in the clouds, casting beams across the sky. The scene is in monochrome, with deep blacks, grays, and whites highlighting light and shadow. The image conveys a serene yet dramatic mood, emphasizing the celestial phenomenon.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 9.3 x 12 cm (3 11/16 x 4 3/4 in.)
    sheet: 10.2 x 12.6 cm (4 x 4 15/16 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.5 cm (13 1/2 x 10 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.853

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    157A

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    897

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

2010

  • Alfred Stieglitz: The Lake George Years, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2010

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 897.

2010

  • Annear, Judy, ed. Alfred Stieglitz: The Lake George Years. Exh. cat. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2010.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, lower left verso, in graphite: A9 [9 in subscript]
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 157-A

Wikidata ID

Q64035898

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

For information about the date of this print, see Key Set number 890.

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:

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 52.1828

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