Edward Steichen

by Edward Steichen (Photographer), William A. Ewing (Introduction)

The classic Photofile series brings together the best work of the world's greatest photographers in an attractive format and at a reasonable price. Handsome and collectible, the books each contain full-page duotone and/or color reproductions, plus a critical introduction and a bibliography.

Edward Steichen (1879-1973) had the rare ability to turn his talents to almost all genres of photography. Art and industry, fashion and beauty, celebrity portraits, landscapes and cityscapes, nudes and dancers―his legacy remains omnipresent. It was Steichen's curious and inventive mind that made this diversity possible, as he ignored established dogma to carve out his own unique path. This book presents the best of his work from a career that spanned well over half a century. 64 photographs in color and duotone

Genres: Photography

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1988

About the author

Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator.
Steichen was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Together Stieglitz and Steichen opened the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, which eventually became known as 291 after its address.
His photos of gowns for the magazine Art et Décoration in 1911 are regarded as the first modern fashion photographs ever published. From 1923 to 1938, Steichen was a photographer for the Condé Nast magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair while also working for many advertising agencies including J. Walter Thompson. During these years, Steichen was regarded as the best known and highest paid photographer in the world. In 1944, he directed the war documentary The Fighting Lady, which won the 1945 Academy Award for Best Documentary.
After World War II, Steichen was Director of the Department of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art until 1962. While at MoMA, he curated and assembled the exhibit The Family of Man, which was seen by nine million people.

Reviews

[Margot Note]

Love Steichen and love this book. I wish they included the photographic technique he used for each photo as he used so many (platinum, gum bichromate, gum bichromate over platinum print, direct carbon, gelatin silver, etc.)

[Finnean Malley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking at old collection of photographs like this was both enjoyable in itself and I used it as a writing exercise which was very fun.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A succinct and literate accounting of Steichen's contribution to the art of photography with beautiful black & white reproductions of his work in portraits, fashion, commercial and war time photgraphy. A really good jumping off point for a study of the artist.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many entries in the early Impressionistic vein.