Songs of the Sky

1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows an upward view of a cloudy sky with no distinct horizon line visible. The sun is faintly visible behind dense clouds near the upper right, casting a soft glow in that area. The clouds are spread across the sky in various formations, displaying a mix of lighter and darker shades of gray. The style of the clouds lacks defined brushstrokes, suggesting a photograph rather than a painted scene. The color palette is primarily grayscale, giving the scene a moody and atmospheric quality. There are no other elements in the frame, allowing the viewer to focus on the clouds.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.3 x 8.8 cm (4 7/16 x 3 7/16 in.)
    mount: 34.2 x 27.8 cm (13 7/16 x 10 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1153

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    167E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    943

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

Curious for more Alfred Stieglitz scholarship?

Discover over 1,000 artworks that the artist’s wife Georgia O’Keeffe termed his “Key Set” of prize photographs. Museum scholars have illuminated each work, his career, practices, and lifetime achievements.

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Georgia O'Keeffe; gift to NGA, 1949.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2012

  • Starstruck: The Fine Art of Astrophotography, Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston, ME, 2012

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 943.

Inscriptions

by later hands, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 167E; lower right verso: 167E

Wikidata ID

Q64036579

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photograph and Key Set number 942 are made from the same negative, but have different Estate numbers.

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