Edward Steichen

Title: Wind Fire

Artist: Edward Steichen

Medium: Photograph

Year: 1921



Give a brief description of the movement, photographer, or term you researched. How are they significant to the history of photography?



Steichen was born Éduard Jean Steichen in Bivange, Luxembourg, and immigrated to the United States in 1880. At the age of fifteen, Steichen began a four-year lithography apprenticeship with the American Fine Art Company of Milwaukee. Having come across a camera shop near to his work, he persuaded himself to buy his first camera, a secondhand Kodak box "detective" camera, in 1895. Steichen and his friends pooled together their funds, rented a small room in a Milwaukee office building, and began calling themselves the Milwaukee Art Students League. The group also hired Richard Lorenz and Robert Schade for occasional lectures.

Steichen met Alfred Stieglitz in 1900. In that first meeting, Steiglitz expressed praise for Steichen's background in painting, and also bought three photographic prints of Steichen's. In 1902, when Stieglitz was formulating what would become Camera Work, he asked Steichen to design the logo for the magazine, with a custom typeface.

Steichen began experimenting with color photography in 1904, and was one of the first people in the United States to use the Autochrome Lumière process. In 1905, Steichen helped create the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession with Stieglitz.

In 1911, Steichen was "dared" to promote fashion as a fine art by the use of photography. Steichen then took photos of gowns designed by couturier Paul Poiret. This is now considered to be the first ever modern fashion photography shoot. That is, photographing the garments in such a way as to convey a sense of their physical quality as well as their formal appearance, as opposed to simply illustrating the object.

After World War I, during which he commanded the photographic division of the American Expeditionary Forces, he reverted to straight photography, gradually moving into fashion photography. Steichen's 1928 photo of actress Greta Garbo is recognized as one of the definitive portraits of Garbo.









Write a short personal reaction to the movement, photographer or term you researched. What is interesting or not interesting about the work.



I was quite interested in the varied activities of Edward Steichen. Self taught artist, painter, photographer, calligrapher, etc. I am also very interested in his family history and ancestry. I seem to remember the Steichen name being mentioned in my background, and know they were from Luxemburg. I plan to pursue this investigation.







Name: Joe Ulwelling