Birds

1922

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

This is a photograph of birds perched on power lines. The image shows several birds sitting on two parallel wires that stretch vertically across the frame. The scene is set against a cloudy sky, with the silhouette of the birds appearing dark against the lighter background. The composition creates a sense of balance, with the birds spaced unevenly yet harmoniously along the wires. The image employs a monochromatic palette, emphasizing the contrast between the birds and the sky.

Media Options

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.7 x 8.6 cm (4 5/8 x 3 3/8 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.3 cm (13 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1184

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    180E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    774

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.

Learn about the Key Set

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. 1, cat. 774.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 180E

Wikidata ID

Q64036656

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Other Collections

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

Palm Springs Art Museum, California (inscribed: They heard the click—all flew away but they came back—Outside the window—Birds—They send their greetings to their sister—Bird! 1922.)

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:

1923, New York (no. 97, as Birds, 1922)

You may be interested in

Loading Results