Alfred Stieglitz, The Steerage – Smarthistory. Alfred Stieglitz, The Steerage, 1907, photogravure, 33.5cm x 26.4cm , (J. Paul Getty Museum) First class After his 8-year-old daughter Kitty finished the school year and he closed his Fifth Avenue art gallery for the summer, Alfred Stieglitz gathered her, his wife Emmeline, and Kitty’s governess for their second excursion to Europe as a family. The Stieglitzes departed for Paris on May 14, 1907, aboard the first-class quarters of the fashionable ship Kaiser Wilhelm II. Although Emmeline looked forward to shopping in Paris and to visiting her relatives in Germany, Stieglitz was anything but enthusiastic about the trip.
His marriage to status-conscious Emmeline had become particularly stressful amid rumors about his possible affair with the tarot-card illustrator/artist Pamela Coleman Smith. In addition, Stieglitz felt out of place in the company of his fellow upper-class passengers. How I hated the atmosphere of the first class on that ship. Hindsight Ghastly conditions Additional Resources: Our Collection | Alfred Stieglitz | Works By. Stieglitz in Focus. Photographs etc. - Nick Lloyd home page.
Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) and American Photography | Thematic Essay.