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Sun Rays—Paula, Berlin

A work made of gelatin silver print.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gelatin silver print.

Date:

1889, printed 1920/39

Artist:

Alfred Stieglitz
American, 1864–1946

About this artwork

Although Stieglitz made this photograph of his lover Paula early in his career, he did not exhibit or publish it until 1921 at the earliest; shown frequently thereafter, it became one of his best-known works. In contrast to the more atmospheric, seemingly timeless images he was making at the time, such as The Net Mender, Sun Rays is sharp and crisp, as well as modern in its subject matter—the photographs on the wall include a small studio portrait of Stieglitz himself. Only later in his career, after his conversion to “straight” photography, did Stieglitz recognize the modernist impulses at play in this photograph and connect it to his more recent work.

For more on the Alfred Stieglitz collection at the Art Institute, along with in-depth object information, please visit the website: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Alfred Stieglitz

Title

Sun Rays—Paula, Berlin

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 1889

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Inscriptions

Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, on second mount, in graphite: 21, AI of C 49.698

Dimensions

Image/paper: 22.7 × 16.9 cm (8 15/16 × 6 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Reference Number

1949.698

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/66284/manifest.json

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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