Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer, writer, editor and art impresario. Though he was  an internationally acclaimed artist, his influence reached well beyond the camera. He played important roles in the development of photography as an accepted form of fine art and a promoter of modern art. For these reasons, he is often referred to as the father of modern photography. 

Stieglitz was born in New Jersey to German Jewish immigrants and studied engineering in Berlin in the 1880s. He returned to New York in 1890 where he began working with a firm specializing in the production of photogravures from photographs and paintings for use in publications, and began photographing street scenes in New York. Over the course of his 50 year career, Stieglitz joined various camera clubs, was active in organizing photography exhibitions on a local and international level, edited magazines dedicated to photography and modern art, and operated numerous art galleries with the goal of introducing photographers and avant-garde European artists to the public. He also worked tirelessly to promote artists, including his wife Georgia O’Keeffe.

There are many resources available for learning about Stieglitz's life and career. This is a suggested list, and is not comprehensive.

Online Resources

Books