Nineteenth & early twentieth century photographs

Excepting only Alfred Steiglitz, Edward Steichen (1879-1973) was the most important figure in the Photo-secession movement, as well as a major figure in advertising and fashion photography in the twnetieth century. Steichen was born in Luxemburg, but raised in Michigan and Wisconsin. he began as a lithographer's apprentice—a four-year program. With little education in art, he nevertheless quickly moved into advertising design and graphics (posters), and then at age 16 bought his first camera. After some success in the photographic salons' competitions, he abandoned commercial art for a life in the fine arts. He went to Paris to study painting and photography but quickly left school to do a series of portraits of leading artists, including Auguste Rodin, whom he became friendly with and photographed often. He returned to America after serving in the First World War and established his reputation in fashion, advertising, and celebrity photographs for Vanity Fair and Vogue. After his discharge from the Navy in the Second World War he was appointed Director of Photography for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the 1950s he was responsible for organizing the Family of Man exhibition, which was enormously popular and influential.

This portrait of Henri Matisse was done in 1913 and published in Camera Work in that year.

     
Portraits

Henri Matisse was captured by most of the important portrait photographers during his long life. Many of them included his artwork in their images, and sometimes it is difficult to know whether the art or the man is the central subject. Perhaps it doesn't matter for in studying the image we are sure to take in both objects—or rather three objects—the art, the face, and his hands.
     Notice how poorly lit is Matisse's face—while his forehead provides almost a highlight (there is some tone and texture there), the lower part of his face is obscured. But there is an intensity in the eyes that is riveting.
     There is not in this portrait quite the sharp focus that Steichen will soon turn to, but the foreground is very sharp compared to the total lack of focus in the background, an example where control of the depth-of-field was essential.