Songs of the Sky P4

1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a tall tree captured from a low angle, dominating the view as it reaches towards the sky. The horizon is not visible, with the tree filling most of the frame. The leaves are outlined sharply against the sky, emphasizing texture and form. The sky is gray, with clouds to the left. The color palette is black, white, and gray, creating a stark visual impact.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.8 x 9.1 cm (4 5/8 x 3 9/16 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.6 cm (13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.887

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    260D

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    885

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. 885.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, upper center verso, in graphite: Top; upper left verso: P4 [4 in subscript]; center verso: Ex 1932; lower left verso: P4 [4 in subscript]
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 260C
by later hand, on mount, upper right verso, in blue pencil, circled: M

Wikidata ID

Q64035977

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photograph and Key Set numbers 882, 883, 884, and 886 came to the National Gallery of Art in a presentation folder inscribed by Stieglitz: Songs of the Sky, P1–P5, 1923.

Lifetime Exhibitions

A print from the same negative—perhaps a photograph from the Gallery’s collection—appeared in the following exhibition(s) during Alfred Stieglitz’s lifetime:

1932, New York (no. 66, as Poplar Windblown, 1924)

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