Poplar—Lake George

1936

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows an upward view of a cluster of leafless trees with twisting branches and trunks. The horizon is not visible as the trees fill the frame. The black and white photograph highlights the contrast between the dark branches and the sky. The tree trunks and branches stand out against the gradient sky which transitions from light to dark. The focus is on the texture of the bark and the smoothness of the sky. The lack of color emphasizes the shapes of the elements. In the background, the sky fades, creating a serene backdrop for the trees.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.5 × 8.6 cm (4 1/2 × 3 3/8 in.)
    mount: 31.65 × 25.2 cm (12 7/16 × 9 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.758

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    193D

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    1599

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. 2, cat. 1599.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 193D

Wikidata ID

Q64035686

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

The dates for this photograph and Key Set numbers 1595, 1596, 1597, and 1598 are based on the condition of the dying poplar trees (see, for comparison, Key Set numbers 1467–1470, 1475, 1502, 1550–1552, 1575–1577), and references in the Stieglitz–O’Keeffe correspondence (YCAL).

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