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Pedestrians

A work made of gelatin silver print.

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  • A work made of gelatin silver print.

Date:

1921

Artist:

Johan Hagemeyer
American, born Netherlands, 1884–1962

About this artwork

Johan Hagemeyer had begun a career in horticulture, but a 1916 meeting in New York with the famed photographer and gallerist Alfred Stieglitz inspired him to pursue photography full-time. Returning to his home in California, Hagemeyer found a kindred spirit in Edward Weston, whose early photographs embraced the painterly, hand-crafted approach of Pictorialism. Although both Stieglitz and Weston later adopted the tenets of straight photography—employing sharp focus and the full tonal range of photographic paper—Hagemeyer continued on his own path, interested in individual vision rather than pursuing what he saw as the mechanical representation of the world. In this photograph, he portrays the frenetic pace of the big city in an impressionistic manner, with faceless inhabitants obscured in shadow and blur. It is likely that the pedestrians of the title are commuters headed to San Francisco’s Ferry Building to catch the boats that would take them to their homes across the bay.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Johan Hagemeyer

Title

Pedestrians

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1921

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image/paper: 24.5 × 19.6 cm (9 11/16 × 7 3/4 in.); Hinged matte: 45.1 × 35 cm (17 13/16 × 13 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Estate of Johan Hagemeyer

Reference Number

1962.830

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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