Sun Rays, Paula, Berlin

1887

First prize for “The Last Joke, Bellagio”

His photograph The Last Joke, Bellagio won first place in the annual photography competition of the British magazine Amateur Photographer.

1887

First article, on amateur photography in Germany

In 1887 Stieglitz wrote his very first article, “A Word or Two about Amateur Photography in Germany”, for the new magazine Amateur Photographer; other accounts date it to 1888.

1888

First and second prizes in the same competition

The following year his works took both first and second places in the same competition. His reputation grew sharply, and British and German magazines began publishing his photographs.

1890

His sister Flora dies; he returns to New York

In 1890 his sister Flora died in childbirth, and Stieglitz returned to New York. Considering himself an artist, he refused to sell his photographs, so his father bought him a small photography business, the Photochrome Engraving Company, which rarely made a profit because of his demand for quality and the high wages he paid.