Georgia O'Keeffe—Hands

1918

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image displays a pair of hands in an intricate position against a dark background. The lighting accentuates the finger contours, creating a soft contrast. A person's upper body is partially shown in a slightly tilted posture. The face is not visible, keeping the focus on the hands. The clothing is dark and blends into the background. No objects or jewelry are visible, maintaining an abstract aesthetic.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    palladium print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 24.2 x 19.2 cm (9 1/2 x 7 9/16 in.)
    sheet: 24.7 x 20.4 cm (9 3/4 x 8 1/16 in.)
    mat: 50.9 x 38.2 cm (20 1/16 x 15 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1980.70.41

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    OK 22A

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    539

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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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, 1980.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 539.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: T. Weber Co. [underlined] / 1125 Chestnut [underlined] / First Exhibition [underlined] / Photo / 1918 / A+1; upper right verso: No 127—
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, lower left, in graphite: Treated by Steichen; lower left verso: OK 22A

Wikidata ID

Q64036949

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

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:

1921, New York (no. 127, as Hands, 1918–1920)

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