Camera Work: American Photography of the Early 20th Century

Photography played an important role in the development of modern art in the early 20th century. American photographer Alfred Stieglitz spent his 50-year career working to establish photography as a fine art form. The Photo-Secession movement was co-founded by Stieglitz in 1902, with the then controversial viewpoint that the significance of photography lies not in the subject matter of the photograph but in the way the artist achieved their subjective vision through the manipulation of the image. 

Following the formation of the Photo-Secession movement, Stieglitz—unhappy with contemporary photographic journals of the time—founded Camera Work, a quarterly journal published from 1903–1917 that served to aid in Photo-Secession efforts. 

This exhibition highlights photographs from the permanent collection that were published in several issues of Camera Work, including work by Alice Boughton, Anne Brigman, Frank Eugene, Frederick Henry Evans, Gertrude Käsebier, Alfred Stieglitz, and Edward Steichen.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website