Georgia O'Keeffe—Hands and Horse Skull

1931

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The artwork is a black and white photograph featuring a close-up view of a horse skull held by two hands. The skull is positioned horizontally across the frame, occupying the central and right portion. The hands, one on each side of the skull, cradle it, with fingers splayed to show the contours and textures of the bone. The left hand is positioned near the eye socket, while the right hand is placed closer to the jaw. The background is a plain, light color, which contrasts with the smooth, pale surface of the skull and the darker, textured skin of the hands. The lighting highlights the details of the skull's structure and the form of the hands.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 18.7 × 23.3 cm (7 3/8 × 9 3/16 in.)
    mount: 56.5 x 46.3 cm (22 1/4 x 18 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1980.70.244

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    OK 23E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    1429

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

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 1429.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, lower left verso, in graphite: OK 23E

Wikidata ID

Q64037430

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

For more information about this photograph, see Key Set number 1427.

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