ORIGINAL 1916 Camera Work No. 48 Photogravure: Telegraph Poles by PAUL STRAND For Sale

A RAREVINTAGEMUSEUM QUALITY ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAVURE PLATEFROM CAMERA WORK NUMBER FORTY-EIGHTBY PAUL STRANDTITLED \"TELEGRAPH POLES.\" PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1916.
IMAGE MEASURES APPROXIMATELY 7 15/16\" BY 5 7/16\" AND IS PRINTED ON IT\'S ORIGINAL LEAF MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 11 5/8\" BY 8 1/4\".
EXCELLENTOR BETTERCONDITION, SAVE FOR A MINUTE AREA PREVIOUSLY SPOTTED OUT, IN THE SHADOWS OF THE WHITE BUILDING BETWEEN THE POLES - SEE SCAN FOR BEST DESCRIPTION OF CONDITION!
EXCEPTIONAL ALFRED STIEGLITZ EDUARD J. STEICHEN CLARENCE H. WHITE FRANK EUGENE GERTRUDE KASEBIER PAUL STRAND JULIA MARGARET CAMERON HILL & ADAMSON ALICE BOUGHTON JAMES CRAIG ANNAN JOSEPH T. KEILEY PHOTO-SECESSION PICTORIAL NUDE SUBJECT MATTER!CAMERA WORK PHOTOGRAVURE PLATES ** PLEASE SEE MY ADDITIONAL LISTINGS FOR MORE EXCEPTIONAL PHOTOGRAVURES FROM CAMERA WORK!!!

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Camera Workwas a quarterlyphotographicjournal published byAlfred Stieglitzfrom 1903 to 1917. It is known for its many high-qualityphotogravuresby some of the most important photographers in the world and its editorial purpose to establish photography as a fine art. It has been called \"consummately intellectual\",[1]\"by far the most beautiful of all photographic magazines\",[2]and \"a portrait of an age [in which] the artistic sensibility of the nineteenth century was transformed into the artistic awareness of the present day.\"[3]

Background[edit]

At the start of the 20th century Alfred Stieglitz was the single most important figure in American photography.[4]He had been working for many years to raise the status of photography as a fine art by writing numerous articles, creating exhibitions, exhibiting his own work and, especially by trying to influence the artistic direction of the highly important Camera Club of New York. He was not successful in the latter, and as a result by the spring of 1902 he was both frustrated and exhausted. He had spent the past five years as editor of the Camera Club\'s journalCamera Notes, where his efforts to promote photography as a fine art form were regularly challenged by the older, more conservative members of the Club who thought photography was nothing more than a technical process. Rather than continue to battle against these challenges, he resigned as editor ofCamera Notesand spent the summer at his home inLake George, New York, thinking about what he could do next.[2]

\"Alfred Stieglitz\", byAlvin Langdon Coburn. Published in Camera Work No 21, 1908

His close friends and fellow photographers, led byJoseph Keiley, encouraged him to carry out his dream and publish a new magazine, one that would be independent of any conservative influences. It did not take him long to come up with a new plan. In August, 1902, he printed a two-page prospectus \"in response to the importunities of many serious workers in photographic fields that I should undertake the publication of an independent magazine devoted to the furtherance of modern photography.\"[2]He said he would soon launch a new journal that would be \"the best and most sumptuous of photographic publications\" and that it would published entirely by himself, \"owing allegiance only to the interests of photography.\"[2]He called the new journalCamera Work, a reference to the phrase in his prospectus statement in which he meant to distinguish artistic photographers like himself from the old-school technicians with whom he had fought for many years. To emphasize the fact that this was an independent journal every cover would proclaim \"Camera Work: A Photographic Quarterly, Edited and Published by Alfred Stieglitz, New York\".

Design and production[edit]\"The Red Man\", by Gertrude Käsebier. Published in Camera Work No 1, 1903

Stieglitz was determined from the start thatCamera Workwould be the finest publication of its day. He askedEdward Steichento design the cover, a simple gray-green background with the magazine’s title, acknowledgement of Stieglitz’s editorial control and issue number and date in anArt Nouveau-style typeface created especially by Steichen for the journal. Even the advertisements at the back of each issue were creatively designed and presented, often by Stieglitz himself. Eastman Kodak took the back cover of almost every issue, and at Stieglitz’s insistence they used the same typeface Steichen had designed for the cover.[5]

Gravures were produced from the photographers\' original negatives whenever possible or occasionally from the original prints. If the gravure came from a negative this fact was noted in the accompanying text, and these gravures were then considered to be original prints.[5]

Stieglitz, always a perfectionist, personally tipped in each of the photogravures in every issue, touching up dust spots or scratches when necessary.[6]This time-consuming and exhausting work assured only the highest standards in every copy but sometimes delayed the mailing of the issues since Stieglitz would not allow anyone else to do it. The visual quality of the gravures was so high that when a set of prints failed to arrive for a Photo-Secession exhibition in Brussels, a selection of gravures from the magazine was hung instead. Most viewers assumed they were looking at the original photographs.[2]

Before the first issue was even printed, Stieglitz received 68 subscriptions for his new publication. With his typical extravagant aesthetic taste and unwillingness to compromise, Stieglitz insisted that 1000 copies of every issue be printed regardless of the number of subscriptions. Under financial duress he reduced the number to 500 for the final two issues. The annual subscription rate at the start was US$4, or US$2 for single issues.[5]

Publishing history[edit]\"Self-portrait\", by Edward Steichen. Published in Camera Work No 2, 1903Early years (1903-1906)[edit]

The inaugural issue ofCamera Workwas dated January 1903, but was actually mailed on 15 December 1902. In it Stieglitz set forth the mission of the new journal:

\"Photography being in the main a process in monochrome, it is one subtle gradations of tone and value that its artistic beauty so frequently depends. It is therefore highly necessary that reproductions of photographic work must be made with exceptional care, and discretion of the spirit of the original is to be retained, though no reproductions can do justice to the subtleties of some photographs. Such supervision will be given to the illustrations that will appear in each number of Camera Work. Only examples of such works as gives evidence of individuality and artistic worth, regardless of school, or contains some exceptional feature of technical merit, or such as exemplifies some treatment worthy of consideration, will find recognition in these pages. Nevertheless, the Pictorial will be the dominating feature of the magazine.\"[7]

In his first editorial Stieglitz expressed gratitude to a group photographers to whom he was indebted. He listed them in a specific order:Robert Demachy, Will Cadby,Edward Steichen,Gertrude Käsebier,Frank Eugene, J. Craig Annan,Clarence H. White, William Dyer,Eva Watson,Frances Benjamin Johnston, and R. Child Baley.[8]Over the next fourteen years he showed a decided bias by publishing many of their photographs while other talented photographers barely received notice.[2]

\"Boy with Camera Work\", by Clarence H. White. Published in Camera Work No 9, 1905

During this early period Stieglitz usedCamera Workto expand the same vision and aesthetics that he had promoted inCamera Notes. He even used the services of the same three assistant editors who worked with him on Camera Notes: Dallett Fuguet, Joseph Keiley and John Francis Strauss. Over the years both Fuguet and Keiley contributed extensively to the journal through their own articles and photographs.[9]Strauss’ role appears to have been more in the background. Neither Stieglitz nor his associate editors received a salary for their work, nor were any photographers paid for having their work published.[2]

One of its purposes of the new journal was to serve as a vehicle for thePhoto-Secession, an invitation-only group that Stieglitz founded in 1902 to promote photography as an art form.[5]Much of the work published inCamera Workwould come from the Photo-Secession exhibitions he hosted, and soon rumors circulated that the magazine was intended only for those involved in the Photo-Secession. In 1904 Stieglitz attempted to counter this idea by publishing a full-page notice in the journal in order to correct the \"erroneous impression…that only the favored few are admitted to our subscription list.\" Ironically he went on to say \"…although it is the mouthpiece of the Photo-Secession that fact will not be allowed to hamper its independence in the slightest degree.\"[7]

While making this proclamation in the journal, Stieglitz continued to unabashedly promote the Photo-Secession in its pages. In 1905, he wrote \"The most important step in the history of the Photo-Secession\" was taken with the opening of his photography gallery that year. \"Without the flourish of trumpets, without the stereotypes press-view or similar antiquated functions, the Secessionists and a few friends informally opened the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession at 291 Fifth Avenue, New York.\"[6]

\"Lenore\", by Joseph Keiley. Published in Camera Work No 17, 1907Expanding the realm (1907-1909)[edit]

Throughout its publication, it is impossible to viewCamera Workseparately from the rest of Stieglitz’s life. He lived to promote photography as an art form and to challenge the norms of how art may be defined.[2]As his own successes increased, either from recognition of his own photos or through his efforts to organize international exhibitions of photography, the content ofCamera Workreflected these changes. Articles began to appear with such titles as \"Symbolism and Allegory\" (Charles Caffin, No 18 1907) and \"The Critic as Artist\" (Oscar Wilde, No 27 1909), and the focus ofCamera Workturned from primarily American content to a more international scope.

Stieglitz also continued to intertwine the walls of his galleries with the pages of his magazine. Stieglitz’s closest friends (Steichen, Demachy, White, Käsebier and Keiley) were represented in both, while many others were granted one but not the other.[8]Increasingly, a single photographer was given the preponderance of coverage in an issue, and in doing so Stieglitz relied more and more on his small circle of old supporters. This led to increase tensions among Stieglitz and some of his original colleagues, and when Stieglitz began to introduce paintings, drawings and other art forms in his gallery many photographers saw it as the breaking point in their relationship with Stieglitz.

While this was taking place, in 1909 Stieglitz was notified about yet another sign of the increasingly difficult times. London’sLinked Ring, which for more than a decade Stieglitz had looked to as model for the Photo-Secession, finally dissolved in antipathy.[2]Stieglitz knew this signaled the end of an era, but rather than be set back by these changes he began making plans to integrateCamera Workeven further into the realm of modern art.

Beyond photography (1910-1914)[edit]\"Photograph - New York\", by Paul Strand. Published in Camera Work No 49/50, 1917

In January, 1910, Stieglitz abandoned his policy of reproducing only photographic images, and in issue 29 he included four caricatures by Mexican artistMarius de Zayas. From this point onCamera Workwould include both reproductions of and articles on modern painting, drawing and aesthetics, and it marked a significant change in both the role and the nature of the magazine. This change was brought about by a similar transformation at Stieglitz’s New York gallery, which had been known as the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession until 1908. That year he changed the name of the gallery to \"291\", and he began showing avant-garde modern artists such asAuguste RodinandHenri Matissealong with photographers. The positive responses he received at the gallery encouraged Stieglitz to broaden the scope ofCamera Workas well, although he decided against any name change for the journal.[3]

This same year a huge retrospective exhibition of the Photo-Secession was held at theAlbright-Knox Art GalleryinBuffalo, New York. More than fifteen thousand people visited the exhibition over its four-week showing, and at the end the Gallery purchased twelve prints and reserved one room for the permanent display of photography. This was the first time a museum in the U.S. acknowledged that photography was in fact an art form, and, in many ways, it marked the beginning of the end for the Photo-Secession.[3]

After the Buffalo show Stieglitz began showcasing more and more art inCamera Work. In 1911 a double issue was devoted to reproductions of Rodin’s drawings and analyses of his,Cézanne\'s andPicasso\'s work. While this was a very bold move to promote modern art, it did not sit well with the photographers who still made up most of the subscription list. Half of the existing subscribers immediately cancelled their subscriptions.[3]

By 1912 the number of subscriptions had dropped to 304. The shift away from photography to a mix of other art and photography had cost him many subscribers,[5]yet he stubbornly refused to change his editorial direction. In an attempt to inflate the value of the issues in the marketplace and thereby attract more subscribers, Stieglitz began to destroy unwanted copies. The price of back issues soon increased substantially, but the number of paid subscriptions continued to dwindle.[5]

Final years (1915-1917)[edit]

By 1915 the cultural changes and the economic effects of the war finally took its toll onCamera Work. The number of subscribers dwindled to just thirty-seven, and both the costs and even the availability of the paper on which it was printed became challenging. Coupled with the public’s decreased interest in pictorial photography, these problems simply became too much for Stieglitz to bear. He published issue 47 in January, 1915, and devoted most of it what Steichen referred to as a \"project in self-adulation\".[3]Three years earlier Stieglitz had asked many of his friends to tell him what his gallery \"291\" meant to them. He received sixty-eight replies and printed all of them, unedited (including Steichen’s previously mentioned opinion), in issue 47. As another sign of the changing times, only four of the comments came from photographers – all of the rest were from painters, illustrators and art critics.[2]It was the only issue that did not include an illustration of any kind.

Issue 48 did not appear until October 1916, sixteen months later. In the interim two important events occurred. At the insistence of his friendPaul HavilandStieglitz had begun another journal,291, which was intended to bring attention to his gallery of the same name. This effort occupied much of Stieglitz’s time and interest from the summer of 1915 until the last issue was published in early 1916. In April 1916, Stieglitz finally metGeorgia O\'Keeffe, although the latter had gone to see exhibits at \"291\" since 1908. The two immediately were attracted to each other, and Stieglitz began devoting more and more of his time to their developing relationship.

In issue 48 Stieglitz introduced the work of a young photographer,Paul Strand, whose photographic vision was indicative of the aesthetic changes now at the heart ofCamera Work\'sdemise. Strand shunned the soft focus and symbolic content of the Pictorialists and instead strived to create a new vision that found beauty in the clear lines and forms of ordinary objects. By publishing Strand’s work Stieglitz was hastening the end of the aesthetic vision he had championed for so long.[9]

Nine months later, in June 1917, what was to be the final issue ofCamera Workappeared. It was devoted almost entirely to Strand’s photographs. Even after the difficulties of publishing the last two issues Stieglitz did not indicate he was ready to give up; he included an announcement that the next issue would feature O’Keefe’s work. Soon after publishing this issue, however, Stieglitz realized that he could no longer afford to publishCamera Workor to run \"291\" due to the effect of the war and the changes in the New York arts scene. He ended both of these efforts with no formal announcement or notice.

When he closed \"291\" Stieglitz had several thousand unsold copies ofCamera Work, along with more than 8,000 unsold copies of291. He sold most of these in bulk to a ragpicker, and he gave away or destroyed the rest. Almost all of the copies that remain today came from the collections of the original subscribers.

Legacy[edit]

For most of its lifeCamera Workwas universally praised by both photographers and critics. Here are some examples that appeared in photography magazines whenCamera Workfirst appeared:

\"WhenCamera Noteswas at its height, it seemed impossible for it to be surpassed. We can only say that in this case it has been passed, that Stieglitz has out-Stieglitzed Stieglitz and that, in producingCamera Workhe has beaten that record which he himself held, which no one else has ever approached.\"[10]\"ForCamera Workas a whole we have no words of praise too high, it stands alone; and of Mr. Alfred Stieglitz American photographers may well be proud. It is difficult to estimate how much he has done for the good of photography, working for years against opposition and without sympathy, and it is to his extraordinary capacity for work, his masterful independence which compels conviction, and his self-sacrificing devotion that we owe the beautiful work before us.\"[11]

While Stieglitz definitely deserves this praise, he should not be seen without fault. In spite of Stieglitz’s initial statement thatCamera Work\"owes allegiance to no organization or clique\",[7]in the end it was primarily a visual showcase for his work and that of his close friends. Of the 473 photographs published inCamera Workduring its fifteen-year existence, 357 were the work of just fourteen photographers: Stieglitz, Steichen,Frank Eugene,Clarence H. White,Alvin Langdon Coburn, J. Craig Annan,Hill & Adamson, Baron Adolf de Meyer, Heinrich Kühn, George Seeley,Paul Strand,Robert Demachy,Gertrude KäsebierandAnne Brigman. The remaining 116 photographs came from just thirty-nine other photographers.[2]