The Asphalt Paver: New York

1892/1893, printed 1913

Alfred Stieglitz (editor/publisher) after Various Artists

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows industrial machinery surrounded by smoke or steam. On the right, there is a large smokestack emitting plumes that obscure the surroundings. Behind the smoke, there are skeletal trees silhouetted against the sky. The ground leads up to the structures, with a path or road veering off to the side. The color palette is monochromatic, with shades of gray and brown emphasizing the smoke. The style is impressionistic, possibly due to a soft focus.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    photogravure

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 14.1 × 17.7 cm (5 9/16 × 6 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1280.8

  • Copyright

    Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • Key Set Number

    74

Associated Artworks

See all 5 artworks

Camera Work: Vol.11: Numbers 41, 42/43, 44, and Special Supplement

Alfred Stieglitz

1913

This is a photograph of a street scene in an urban environment. The image features a wet street. The composition captures horse-drawn carriages moving down the middle of the street and various individuals walking along the pavement, framed by the silhouettes of trees and buildings in the background. The overall tone is slightly grainy with a subdued contrast between dark and light areas. The mood of the photograph evokes a sense of historical ambiance and daily life during that period.

A Snapshot; Paris [street scene]

Alfred Stieglitz

1911

This is a photograph of a horse harnessed to a cart next to a pile of logs. The image shows a horse on a cobblestone path, pulling a cart loaded with goods. In the foreground, there are neatly stacked logs. The horse is equipped with a harness connected to the wagon it is pulling. The image is in monochrome, giving a nostalgic and historical atmosphere. The softness of the image and the detailed textures of the horse's mane and the wooden logs evoke a sense of tranquility and timelessness, reminiscent of early-to-mid 20th-century photography.

A Snapshot, Paris [horse]

Alfred Stieglitz

1911

The image shows a man leaning his head on his hand, positioned with his face resting on his left hand. He has a mustache, thin-framed eyeglasses, and thick, greying hair that curls slightly at the edges. He is dressed in a formal jacket, a white shirt, and a black bow tie. The background is a soft, dark blur.

Alfred Stieglitz

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Georgia O'Keeffe; gift to NGA, 1949.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 1, cat. 74.

Wikidata ID

Q64037841

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Stieglitz Collections

A corresponding print was given to the following institution(s) by Alfred Stieglitz during his lifetime, or was received or acquired from the estate:

George Eastman Museum, Rochester, 83:0660:0033 [lantern slide] (inscribed: 20. An Impression)

Other Collections

A print corresponding with this photograph can also be found in the following collection(s):

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 331.1987

Location unknown [carbon]

Lifetime Exhibitions

A print from the same negative—perhaps a photograph from the Gallery’s collection—appeared in the following exhibition(s) during Alfred Stieglitz’s lifetime:

1897, London, R.P.S. (no. 440, as An Impression, lantern slide)
1903, Cleveland (no. 5, as Asphalt Paver)
1924, New York (no. 57, as The Asphalt Paver, 1892)
1932, New York (no. 33, as Asphalt Paver, 1895)

Lifetime Publications

A reproduction of this work appeared in the following publication(s) during Alfred Stieglitz’s lifetime:

Camera Work 41 (January 1913), pl. 3 (ill., The Asphalt Paver: New York, 1892)

Note

Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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