Icy Night (featured in ad for Goerz lenses)

1898, printed 1903

Alfred Stieglitz (editor/publisher) after Various Artists

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a snow-covered path with tall, spindly trees lining the sides. The path is illuminated by faint street lamps in the distance, casting a gentle light on the snowy ground. The photograph has a soft focus and grainy texture, with a dark color palette of black, gray, and white. Footprints are visible on the snow, leading the eye into the distance where the street lamps create a halo effect on the horizon.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    photogravure

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 12.8 × 15.9 cm (5 1/16 × 6 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1270.42

  • Copyright

    Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • Key Set Number

    258

Associated Artworks

See all 4 artworks

Camera Work: Vol.1: Numbers 1-4

Alfred Stieglitz

1903

The image displays a low-angle view of converging railway tracks with a steam locomotive moving towards the viewer, emitting black smoke. The horizon is low in the image, showcasing industrial buildings, utility poles, and a cloudy sky in the background. It appears to be a photographic image with a grainy texture, emphasizing a sepia color palette.

The Hand of Man

Alfred Stieglitz

1902

The image shows a city street scene with horse-drawn carriages. A lone tree is on the right side. The sky is overcast, casting muted light. The horizon is hazy, creating depth. The image is monochromatic in shades of sepia and grey. Closest to us, a horse is tethered to a carriage. Other horses line the street, receding into the distance where figures become silhouettes. The style mimics early photographic techniques with a soft, nostalgic aura.

The Street—Design for a Poster

Alfred Stieglitz

1900

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

1992

  • Stieglitz in the Darkroom, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 4, 1992–February 14, 1993

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 258.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, upper left, printed: GOERZ; upper right: LENSES; lower left: The original of this celebrated / picture, “Icy Night,” exhib- / ited in the International Ex- / hibitions at London, Paris, / Turin, Brussels, Hamburg, / Philadelphia, etc., etc.,; lower right: was made in January, Eight- / een Hundred and Ninety- / eight, at one a.m., with a / Goerz Lens, Series III., full / opening, and an exposure of / three minutes.

Wikidata ID

Q64037867

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photogravure was produced as part of an advertisement for Goerz lenses.

Note

Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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