Morris Loeb's poem

1886

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

This is a photograph of handwritten text. The image shows a piece of paper containing a poem or verses written in cursive handwriting. The text spans two sections, separated by a horizontal line. The writing references school boys, a canvas, and a Siamese brother, amongst other elements. The paper has a vintage appearance, with an off-white hue and visible folding marks or creases. The handwriting suggests a form of calligraphy or traditional penmanship.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    platinum print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 14 x 5 cm (5 1/2 x 1 15/16 in.)
    support: 22 x 13.6 cm (8 11/16 x 5 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.11

  • Volume Title

    July 4th 1886 Freienwalde a. O.

  • Key Set Number

    3

Associated Artworks

See all 10 artworks

Freienwalde a. O.

Alfred Stieglitz

1886

The image shows seven men seated in a line on a grassy incline. Each man leans against the one behind, creating a staggered seating arrangement. They are dressed in formal, early 20th-century attire, with jackets, waistcoats, and trousers. The men have varied facial hair and neatly combed hairstyles. Some wear accessories like hats and walking sticks. They are in a natural setting with a backdrop of tall trees. The photograph has a sepia tone.

Freienwalde a. O.

Alfred Stieglitz

1886

The image depicts a sloping hillside with a group of people climbing it. The hill has sparse vegetation and is lined with trees and shrubs at the top under an overcast sky. The people are dressed in late 19th to early 20th century clothes and are ascending the sandy incline in staggered formation. The photo is in sepia tone, emphasizing a vintage look with colors of beige, brown, and grey.

Freienwalde a. O.

Alfred Stieglitz

1886

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, 1949.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 3.

Wikidata ID

Q64034640

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photograph is bound in a small (5 3/8 × 8 3/4 inches) leather album stamped in gold: July 4th 1886 / Freienwalde a.O. (Freienwalde-an-der-Oder, now known as Bad Freienwalde, was a resort town northeast of Berlin, near the Oder River.) The following Key Set numbers are also included in the album: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. This photograph and Key Set number 13 are mounted on cabinet cards and slipped into a small pocket on the inside back cover of the volume.

Each stanza in this poem by Stieglitz’s friend Morris Loeb refers to one of the following ten photographs. The poem is a spoof on Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Three Little Maids from School Are We” from their recently released, popular musical The Mikado (1885).

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