Kitty and Alfred Stieglitz

Edward Steichen began his career under the wings of photographer Alfred Stieglitz, who was also a modern-art gallerist. When Stieglitz saw the 21-year-old's portfolio in 1900, he was sufficiently impressed to buy three prints. The two men gradually built a strong personal and professional relationship. Stieglitz promoted the younger artist through Camera Work, his exquisitely printed quarterly journal, and with Steichen's help, he started the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, which eventually became known as Gallery 291. This rich platinum print depicting Stieglitz and his daughter Kitty reflects the prevailing aesthetic of fine-art photography around the turn of the 20th century. As proponents of pictorialism, Stieglitz, Steichen, and many of their contemporaries sought to elevate photography to the status of high art by infusing their work with handcraft and painterly effects.