Journals > Camera Work

Camera Work

Published 1903–1917

Stieglitz had edited two previous publications—The American Amateur Photographer and Camera Notesbefore deciding in 1902 that he wanted to put his energies toward an autonomous, high-quality magazine intended to elevate and promote the art of photography. In the prospectus for Camera Work, he argued that the journal would be independent, “owing allegiance only to the interests of photography.”[1] The first issue was published in January 1903, and Stieglitz declared therein his standards of inclusion: “Only examples of such work as gives evidence of individuality and artistic worth, regardless of school, or contains some exceptional feature of technical merit, will find recognition in these pages.”[2]

 

Camera Work was a sumptuous, erudite publication. Its Art Nouveau cover was designed by Edward Steichen, and the quarterly printed some of the best of American art criticism, often reproducing reviews of 291 shows from other publications. Most importantly for Stieglitz, Camera Work boasted high-quality photogravures—printed under Stieglitz’s supervision and tipped in by hand—in order to better represent subtle gradations of tone and value. This was seen as a major improvement over the typical halftone reproductions employed in other publications.

 

In the journal’s early years, Stieglitz prominently featured artists of the Photo-Secession, including James Craig Annan, Frank Eugene, Gertrude Käsebier, Edward Steichen, Frederick Evans, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Clarence White, and others. As 291’s exhibition program moved beyond photography to embrace painting and sculpture, the magazine began to cover modern art, taking on a more international focus. With these changes, and the advent of World War I, subscribers dwindled and the publication schedule became increasingly irregular. The last issue of Camera Work (49–50, June 1917) featured early work by Paul Strand, presaging Stieglitz’s own new direction toward straight photography.

 

 

[1] Alfred Stieglitz, “Camera Work Prospectus,” August 25, 1902, reprinted in Richard Whelan, ed., Stieglitz on Photography: His Selected Essays and Notes (Aperture, 2000), pp. 149–50.

[2] Alfred Stieglitz et al., “An Apology,” Camera Work 1 (January 1903), p. 15.

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AIC_1949-703_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Hand of Man, 1902, printed 1920/39

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AIC_1949-830_T
Edward Steichen

Midnight Lake George, 1904

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AIC_1949-885_T
Paul Strand

Porch Shadows, 1916

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AIC_1949-668_T
James Craig Annan

Stirling Castle, c. 1903

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AIC_1949-669_T
James Craig Annan

Bolney Backwater, c. 1908

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AIC_1949-671_T
Frank Eugene

La Cigale, 1898

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AIC_1949-674_T
Frank Eugene

Portrait of Alfred Stieglitz, c. 1899

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AIC_1949-678_T
Frank Eugene

La Cigale, 1898

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AIC_1949-682_T
David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson

Portrait of Mrs. Rigby, 1844

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AIC_1949-685_T
David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson

Portrait of Two Men (John Henning and Alexander Handyside Ritchie), c. 1845, printed 1890/1900

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AIC_1949-687_T
David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson

Mrs. Anna Brownell Jameson, 1844

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aic_1949-689_t
Alfred Stieglitz

An Icy Night, New York, 1898

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AIC_1949-704_T
Alfred Stieglitz

Outward Bound, The Mauretania, 1910, printed 1918/32

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AIC_1949-705_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Steerage, 1907, printed 1920/39

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AIC_1949-706_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Terminal, 1893, printed 1920/39

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AIC_1949-707_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Flatiron, 1903, printed 1920/39

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AIC_1949-823_T
Edward Steichen

Self-Portrait with Brush and Palette, 1902

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AIC_1949-825_T
Edward Steichen

Rodin, Le Penseur, 1902

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AIC_1949-828_T
Edward Steichen

Portrait of Clarence White, 1908

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AIC_1949-829_T
Edward Steichen

Midnight Lake George, 1904

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AIC_1949-831_T
Frank Eugene

The Horse, c. 1900

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AIC_1949-833_T
Frank Eugene

Hortensia, 1898

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AIC_1949-834_T
Frank Eugene

Brigitta, c. 1906

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AIC_1949-835_T
Frank Eugene

Portrait of Alfred Stieglitz, c. 1899

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Alfred Stieglitz

The City of Ambitions, 1910

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AIC_1949-837_T
Alfred Stieglitz

Spring – The Child, 1901

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AIC_1949-838_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Flatiron, 1903

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AIC_1949-839_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Street, Fifth Avenue, 1900/01

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AIC_1949-840_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Railroad Yard, Winter, 1903

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AIC_1949-841_T
Alfred Stieglitz

Going to the Post, Morris Park, 1904

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AIC_1949-843_T
Alfred Stieglitz

Outward Bound, The Mauretania, 1910

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AIC_1949-844_T
Alfred Stieglitz

Two Towers, New York, 1911

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AIC_1949-845_T
Alfred Stieglitz

Old and New New York, 1910

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AIC_1949-847_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Steerage, 1907, printed 1915

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AIC_1949-848_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Terminal, 1893

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AIC_1949-849_T
Alfred Stieglitz

Spring Showers, 1900/01

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AIC_1949-850_T
Alfred Stieglitz

The Hand of Man, 1902

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AIC_1949-856_T
Clarence H. White

Girl with Muff, 1906

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AIC_1949-861_T
Sarah Choate Sears

Portrait of Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, c. 1900

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AIC_1949-873_T
Edward Steichen

The Pool, 1899

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aic_1949-877_t
Julia Margaret Cameron

Thomas Carlyle, 1867, printed 1875

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aic_1949-882_t
Julia Margaret Cameron

Herr Joseph Joachim, 1868, printed 1875

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AIC_1949-883_T
Julia Margaret Cameron

Sir John Herschel, 1867, printed 1875

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