Songs of the Sky P3

1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a view looking up at the sky, capturing a dramatic arrangement of clouds. The horizon is not visible, emphasizing the perspective directed upwards. The clouds are captured with a soft focus and gentle gradients, creating a sense of depth and texture as they roll across the sky. Closest to us, there is a blurred silhouette of a tree's foliage in the lower part of the image. The color palette is monochromatic, composed entirely in shades of gray, giving the scene a timeless, classic feel.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.8 x 9.1 cm (4 5/8 x 3 9/16 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.5 cm (13 1/2 x 10 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.886

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    260C

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    884

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. 884.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, upper center verso, in graphite: Top; upper left verso: P3 [3 in subscript]; lower left verso: P3 [3 in subscript]
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 260C

Wikidata ID

Q64035975

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photograph and Key Set numbers 882, 883, 885, and 886 came to the National Gallery of Art in a presentation folder inscribed by Stieglitz: Songs of the Sky, P1–P5, 1923.

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