Songs of the Sky

possibly 1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a view looking directly upward into a cloudy sky. The horizon is not visible. The sun is centrally positioned and nearly obscured by thick clouds. The clouds create a textured pattern that conveys movement. The color palette consists of varying shades of grays and blacks, with contrasts between illuminated areas around the sun and darker cloud formations.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.7 x 9.2 cm (4 5/8 x 3 5/8 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.6 cm (13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1137

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    258D

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    941

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. 941.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 258D

Wikidata ID

Q64036548

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

The date is based on similarities of the cloud patterns and print quality to those of other prints dated 1923, particularly Key Set numbers 931–935, 938 and 939.

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