Edward Jean Steichen

Key facts

Lived

1879–1973, American^[1]

Movement

• pictorialism

^[1]

Works held in

6 museums

Wikipedia

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• What is Edward Jean Steichen known for?+

  Edward Steichen is known for his photography, including his early pictorialist images and his later fashion and portrait photography for Vogue and Vanity Fair. He is also known for directing The Fighting Lady, a documentary that won an Academy Award, and for curating The Family of Man exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
• What is Edward Jean Steichen's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Edward Jean Steichen's most famous. His career spanned many decades and disciplines; he was a painter and photographer, as well as a curator. Steichen was a major figure in the development of photography as an art form. He was a member of the Photo-Secession movement in the early 1900s. During this period, he experimented with soft-focus and manipulated printing techniques. Later, Steichen became a leading fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for *Vogue* and *Vanity Fair*. As such, his commercial work reached a wide audience. In the mid-20th century, Steichen curated "The Family of Man" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This exhibition was seen by millions of visitors and toured the world. It presented a universal view of humanity through photography.
• What should I know about Edward Jean Steichen's prints?+

  Edward Jean Steichen (1879^[1]-1973^[1]) was an American^[1] photographer, painter, and curator. He is known for his fashion and portrait photography during the early 20th century. Steichen's early prints often employed soft-focus techniques, reflecting the pictorialist aesthetic. Pictorialism valued artistic effect over sharp detail, often using special lenses or darkroom manipulation. He co-founded the Photo-Secession group in 1902^[1] with Alfred Stieglitz to promote photography as a fine art. Around 1915, Steichen shifted to a more sharply focused, straight photography style. During World War I, he commanded the photographic division of the American Expeditionary Forces. His wartime experience influenced his move away from pictorialism^[1]. After the war, Steichen became chief photographer for *Vogue* and *Vanity Fair*. He created portraits of celebrities and fashion models, defining the image of the modern woman. His commercial work is characterised by its glamour and sophistication. In 1947, Steichen became the director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He curated the exhibition "The Family of Man", a collection of photographs intended to represent universal human experiences.
• What style or movement did Edward Jean Steichen belong to?+

  Edward Jean Steichen was a member of the Photo-Secession movement. This group aimed to establish photography as a fine-art medium, rather than simply a scientific tool. Steichen, along with Gertrude Käsebier and Alfred Stieglitz, had close ties to the Linked Ring. Stieglitz opened his Photo-Secession gallery in New York in 1905^[1]. Steichen's early work was painterly and moody. His early style can be seen in his 1902 portrait *Rodin with His Sculptures Victor Hugo and The Thinker*. He used the gum print process to create a handcrafted look, demonstrating the photographer's aesthetic choices. The image shows Rodin with *The Thinker*, framing a brightly lit, phantom-like Victor Hugo. Steichen identifies Rodin with *The Thinker*, portraying him as a Romantic genius. His early photographs had a poetic and mystical quality, similar to Tonalist painting inspired by Whistler's Aestheticism. European Modernism caused American^[1] photographers to abandon Pictorialism a few years after the 291 exhibitions and the Armory Show.
• What techniques or materials did Edward Jean Steichen use?+

  Edward Jean Steichen was a painter and photographer. In printmaking, various techniques create different effects. Soft-ground etching uses non-hardening wax; the wax remains soft and adheres to anything pressed into it. Removing the object leaves exposed metal, allowing for textural variation. Aquatint creates tonal gradations using powdered resin, heated to adhere it to the metal. Acid then bites away areas not covered by resin dots. Lift-ground, or sugar-lift etching, involves brushing a water-soluble solution onto a prepared plate. Wax is applied, and the solution is lifted off in water, exposing areas. Drypoint involves scratching a drawing directly into a metal plate with a needle, leaving a residue called burr, which gives the line a soft, blurred texture when printed. Serigraphy, or silkscreen, uses stencils on silk, while lithography involves drawing with a greasy pencil on limestone or metal. The drawing is fixed, and greasy ink sticks to the greasy areas.
• When did Edward Jean Steichen live and work?+

  Edward Jean Steichen was born on 27 March 1879^[1] in Bivange, Luxembourg. He died on 25 March 1973^[1] in West Redding, Connecticut, United States. He was an American^[1] photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum director. Steichen's photography career began in the early 20th century. He was a member of the Photo-Secession movement, which promoted photography as a fine art. He worked as a fashion and portrait photographer for magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. During the First World War, Steichen commanded aerial photography units for the American Expeditionary Forces. After the war, he became chief photographer for Condé Nast publications. In 1947^[1], Steichen became director of the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. He curated the exhibition 'The Family of Man', which opened in 1955 and was seen by millions of visitors worldwide.
• Where can I see Edward Jean Steichen's work?+

  Edward Jean Steichen's photographs are held in several prominent collections. The Museum of Modern Art in New York holds his work, including the print 'The Pond Moonlight'. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also in New York, has a number of Julia Margaret Cameron's works, some of which were acquired via gifts and bequests. The National Portrait Gallery in London also possesses a collection of Cameron's photographs. In the United States, the National Gallery of Art in Washington holds some examples. Additionally, the National Museum of American^[1] History, part of the Smithsonian Institution, has Steichen's work in its Photographic History Collection. The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, located in the United Kingdom, also maintains a collection. For researchers, the Center for Creative Photography manages the copyright for Peter Stackpole's photographs, and holds related materials.
• Where was Edward Jean Steichen from?+

  Edward Jean Steichen was born on 27 March 1879^[1] in Luxembourg. Later, he moved to the United States and, on 25 March 1973^[1], died in West Redding, Connecticut. Steichen was a photographer and co-founded the Photo Secession with Käsebier and Stieglitz. His early photography had a painterly style with a mystical quality, similar to the Tonalist painting inspired by Whistler's Aestheticism. An example is his 1902^[1] portrait, Rodin with His Sculptures Victor Hugo and The Thinker, a gum print. The painterly effect combined with the soft focus made the image look more handcrafted than mechanically reproduced. Steichen experimented with techniques like applying liquids to camera lenses. Only three prints exist of his 1904 photograph, The Pond-Moonlight. Each version is unique, printed with different photographic techniques and under Steichen's supervision.
• Who did Edward Jean Steichen influence?+

  Edward Jean Steichen was part of the Photo-Secession movement, along with Alfred Stieglitz and Gertrude Käsebier. Steichen's early work had a painterly style, with moody aesthetics that echoed the Tonalist paintings inspired by Whistler. Steichen, along with Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Alfred Maurer, and Max Weber, was included in a show organised by Stieglitz called "Younger American^[1] Painters". A review of that exhibition suggested that these artists had bypassed Matisse to appreciate Cézanne. Steichen's photographs, such as *The Pond-Moonlight* (1904^[1]), show his interest in photography as a fine art. He experimented with techniques like applying liquids to lenses and using light-sensitive gums. His work helped to establish photography as more than mere documentation, and as a valid art form.
• Who influenced Edward Jean Steichen?+

  Edward Jean Steichen's artistic development involved several influences. His early work, such as *The Pond-Moonlight* (1904^[1]), demonstrates his interest in capturing scenes in twilight, using techniques like applying liquids to the camera lens. Steichen was part of a movement to establish photography as a fine art, rather than just a means of documentation. He experimented with light-sensitive gums and photographic techniques. Only three versions of *The Pond-Moonlight* are known to exist, each unique due to Steichen's printing methods and supervision. Literary and artistic figures also shaped Steichen's views. A quote from Delacroix, "Jeune artiste, tu attends un sujet? Tout est sujet; le sujet c'est toi-meme," (Young artist, are you waiting for a subject? Everything is a subject; the subject is yourself) resonated with him. Charles H. Caffin's article, *The Art of Edward J. Steichen*, further explores these influences. James G. Huneker, in *Promenades of an Impressionist*, also mentions Steichen. These references suggest the impact of Impressionism and a focus on personal expression in Steichen's photography.
• Who was Edward Jean Steichen?+

  Edward Steichen was a Luxembourg-born American^[1] photographer, gallery curator, and museum director. He began as an apprentice lithographer, but taught himself photography and became a fine art photographer, later working for Vogue and Vanity Fair, and directing photography for the US Navy during the Second World War.
• Why are Edward Jean Steichen's works important today?+

  Edward Jean Steichen (1879^[1]-1973^[1]) was a central figure in the development of photography as a fine art. His painterly approach and experimentation with techniques helped to establish photography’s artistic status. Steichen, along with others, founded the Photo Secession movement. His early work had a poetic, mystical quality, similar to Tonalist painting. For example, his 1902^[1] portrait, *Rodin with His Sculptures Victor Hugo and The Thinker*, used a gum print to create a handcrafted appearance. This demonstrated the photographer's aesthetic choices and their impact on the image's meaning. Steichen's images often captured scenes in twilight, as seen in *The Pond Moonlight* (1904). He experimented with techniques such as applying liquids to lenses. Only three prints of *The Pond Moonlight* are known to exist; each is unique due to variations in printing techniques. Beyond his photography, Steichen played a role in introducing modern art to America. In 1912, he persuaded Agnes and Eugene Meyer to purchase a still life by Paul Cézanne. This was a significant acquisition, as it was one of the first Cézanne paintings to enter an American^[1] collection.