Georgia O'Keeffe

Art Historical Context

In 1918, pioneering photographer Alfred Stiegl captured this intimate platinum print portrait of Georgia OKeeffe, the artist who would become his muse and wife. Titled simply *Georgia O'Kee*, the small-scale image (8.7 x 11.5 cm) exemplifies Stieglitz's mastery of modernist photography. As founder of the Photo-Sec movement, he championed photography as fine art, exhibiting at his New York gallery, 291, where he first encountered O'Keeffe's abstract paintings in 1916. Their personal and professional bond transformed American modernism, with Stieglitz producing over 300 photographs of her between 1917 and 1934. The platinum print medium, prized for its rich tonal gradations and archival stability, allowed Stieglitz to achieve subtle nuances of light and shadow, blurring the line between portraiture and abstraction. This technique reflected his "straight photography" ethos—unmanipulated yet profoundly interpretive—emphasizing O'Keeffe's strong features and contemplative gaze as symbols of emerging female artistic identity. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Alfred Stieglitz Collection (Department CPH), this work highlights the intersection of photography, personal relationships, and cultural shifts in early 20th-century America, inviting viewers to ponder the gaze behind the lens.

About the Artist

Alfred Stieglitz · 1864–1946

Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) was a pioneering American photographer, art dealer, publisher, and advocate for the Modernist movement who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to German Jewish immigrant parents, Stieglitz spent his formative years studying mechanical engineering in Berlin, where he discovered photography in ...