Georgia O'Keeffe—Hands

1918

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

This is a photograph of two hands overlapping near a window. The image features two hands with extended fingers reaching out towards a fogged-up window, creating an impression of silhouettes. The hands are covered in dark sleeves with rounded buttons. The window reveals a blurred, abstract view of what appears to be a landscape. The photograph is devoid of color, utilizing sepia tones. The translucency of the window and the contrast of the hand silhouettes create a striking visual harmony.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    palladium print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 22.7 x 18.4 cm (8 15/16 x 7 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 25.1 x 20.1 cm (9 7/8 x 7 15/16 in.)
    mat: 56.6 x 46.3 cm (22 5/16 x 18 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1980.70.117

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    OK 11A

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    513

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, 1980.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2004

  • Alfred Stieglitz and His Circle: 1905–1930, Musée d'Orsay, Paris; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 2004–2005

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 513.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, lower left, in graphite: Treated by Steichen 1949; lower left verso: OK 11A
by later hand, upper center verso, in graphite: K / OK 11A

Wikidata ID

Q64037123

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

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