Songs of the Sky

1924

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image depicts a sky with dramatic, dynamic clouds. There is no visible horizon line. The clouds are arranged in streak-like formations, some thick and tumultuous, others streamlined, creating a rhythmic pattern. The style evokes fluidity, depicting varying densities of clouds across the dark sky. The color palette is monochromatic, with shades of black, white, and gray, highlighting the textures and patterns of the clouds with a stark contrast.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.9 x 9.2 cm (4 11/16 x 3 5/8 in.)
    mount: 34.2 x 27.6 cm (13 7/16 x 10 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.917

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    168D

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    1058

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

2008

  • Notation, Akademie der Künste, Berlin; Zentrum Für Kunst und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe, 2008

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 1058.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, upper center verso, in graphite, underlined: Top; center left verso: Ex 1932 / A1; lower left verso: 1924 or 1925-?
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 168D
by later hands, on mount, upper right verso, in blue pencil, circled: cc; lower right verso: D

Wikidata ID

Q64036047

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Other Collections

A print corresponding with this photograph can also be found in the following collection(s):

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 93.XM.25.80

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:

1932, New York

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