Though he began his artistic career as a painter, training at the Académie Julian in Paris, Edward Steichen is also known for his role in revolutionizing photography from a commercial tool into an artistic medium.
Famed artist and gallerist Alfred Stieglitz often featured Steichen’s artwork in the magazine Camera Work, published from 1903 to 1917 as photography gained popularity. Over the years, Steichen served as the chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair as well as the Director of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Steichen’s dramatic, highly stylized compositions and curatorial eye catapulted photography into greater prestige. An art critic quipped in 1905: "One should not say that he recalls Rembrandt but rather, at this rate, that Rembrandt will, in time, remind us of Steichen."
As Steichen shifted his artistic focus to photography, he destroyed nearly all of his painted compositions. Beethoven represents one of the very few surviving paintings and is considered his most remarkable.
Simultaneously realistic and symbolic, Beethoven reflects Steichen’s unmistakable talent for composition, balance and hue. He completed the painting in 1902, immediately receiving critical praise for its commanding nature. Beethoven was hung prominently beside his photos at Steichen’s first solo show in June 1902 at La Maison des Artistes. The artwork was then proudly exhibited at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, and later at the "National Arts Club Special Exhibition of Contemporary Art" in 1908.
Find original Edward Steichen photography and other art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by M.S. Rau)
Edward Steichen – Fred Astaire, 1927 –
By Edward Steichen
Located in Cologne, DE
Edward Steichen – Fred Astaire, 1927 – This iconic portrait of legendary entertainer Fred Astaire was taken in 1927 by Edward Steichen, one of the most influential photographers of ...
Silver Gelatin
Three Pears and an Apple, France
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
Three Pears and an Apple, France, c. 1921: The Early Years 1900-1927, 1981 photogravure on BFK Rives Paper image size: 13 x 10 inches paper size: 20 x 15 1/4 inches Edition of 500
Photogravure
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
Eugene ONeill
By Edward Steichen
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Silver gelatin print Provenance: General Electric Corporate Collection Heather James Fine Art
Silver Gelatin
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
Improvisation: "George Washington"
By Edward Steichen
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Silver gelatin print Edition 78/100 Provenance: General Electric Corporate Collection Heather James Fine Art
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
George Washington Bridge, New York, 1931
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
Titled in ink with ‘Photograph by Steichen, 139 East 69th Street, New York City' studio stamp on the reverse of the accompanying paper mount
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
George Washington Bridge, New York, 1931
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
John Barrymore as Hamlet
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
Printed, signed late 90's by George Tice.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Katherine Cornell
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
Printed, signed late 90's by George Tice.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Martha Graham #4, NY
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Greta Garbo, Hollywood
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
In his autobiography, A Life in Photography, Steichen gave a vivid recount of this sitting: 'When Garbo came in to pose for the Vanity Fair photograph, I asked her to sit on the c...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Greta Garbo, Hollywood
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
In his autobiography, A Life in Photography, Steichen gave a vivid recount of this sitting: 'When Garbo came in to pose for the Vanity Fair photograph, I asked her to sit on the c...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
First Cast of Brancusi's "Bird in Space"
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Stieglitz and Kitty, New York, 1904
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
$2,220
H 66.93 in W 51.19 in D 1.38 in
ICES Multicolor Set of Nine Framed Colour Photography Artworks
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
ICES Multicolor Set of Nine Framed Artworks. A set of nine pop art prints by Richard Heeps from his Great British Staycation series 'On-Sea'. Taken betw...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$409
H 21.26 in W 15.75 in D 1.38 in
Pink Floral Dress and Gloves & Handbag- Feminine fashion, color photography
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
'Pink Floral Dress' and 'Gloves & Handbag' taken at the glamorous retro event Goodwood Revival, perfectly captures feminine sophistication with a vintage vibe. This artwork featured ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Peek-A-Boo Beatles (1965) - Silver Gelatin Print
Located in London, GB
Peek-A-Boo Beatles (1937) - Silver Gelatin Print (Photo by R. McPhedran/Express/Getty Images) 14th June 1965: The British rock group The Beatles stand in a window at Twickenham Fil...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Bea with a whip at The Other Side
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Bea with a whip at The Other Side 1973 Gelatin silver print 14 x 11 inches; 36 x 28 cm Edition of 100 Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in graphite (lower right verso) ...
Silver Gelatin
$959
H 33.47 in W 33.47 in D 1.97 in
Fish and Chips Van Square, Haddenham - English Vintage Countryside Color Photo
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
A classic British fish & chips van, on a classic English day Haddenham Steam Rally Country Fair, photograph by Richard Heeps. This artwork is a limited edition of 25 gloss phot...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$2,650
H 26.25 in W 19.75 in D 1 in
Alexander Calder Mobile Georgia O’Keeffe Abiquiu 1980 Myron Wood Photograph
By Myron Wood
Located in Denver, CO
This striking black-and-white photograph by Myron Wood captures a rare and intimate intersection of two giants of modern art: a suspended mobile by Alexander Calder within the histor...
Photographic Film
$7,500
H 14 in W 11 in D 0.1 in
Mother with Sons, 3rd Ward, Houston, TX - Vintage Print, Neighborhood
By Earlie Hudnall Jr.
Located in Denton, TX
Signed, titled, dated and print type in pencil on print verso Vintage gelatin silver print Earlie Hudnall, who is one of the most notable African American photographers living today, has extensively documented the African American neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. After serving as a Marine in Vietnam, he enrolled at Texas Southern University, where he studied art under the direction of John Biggers, who became a great friend and mentor. During his time at TSU, he was hired to be a photographer for the Model Cities Program, part of Lyndon Johnson...
Silver Gelatin
Mission Wall, San Ildefonso, NM
By Morley Baer
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This print is signed in pencil on the front of the mount and stamped on the back of the mount. Despite Morley Baer’s adherence to the West Coast landscape tradition, his interests i...
Silver Gelatin
$246
H 15.75 in W 18.51 in D 1.38 in
Milkshakes, Welkom - South African Summer Color Photography Small Framed Print
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
The saturated blue sky and the seductive milkshakes make you feel as if you are sitting in the car at this "Americana style" Roadhouse in Welkom, South Africa. It is typical of Richa...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Joan Crawford - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Joan Crawford - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by Pictorial Press / Alamy Archives) Joan Crawford (1905-1977) US film actress. Additional Information: Unframed Pa...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$2,796Sale Price|20% Off
H 11.5 in W 7.75 in
Robert Mapplethorpe, Rose with Smoke, from A Season in Hell, 1986 (after)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite photogravure after Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989), titled Rose with Smoke, from the folio A Season in Hell, originates from the 1986 edition published by The Limited ...
Photogravure
$246
H 15.75 in W 18.51 in D 1.38 in
Ice Cream Truck, Wildwood, New Jersey - Color Pop Art Photography Print
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Ice Cream Truck, vibrant street photography from the seaside town of Wildwood, from Richard Heeps Jersey Shore series. This artwork is a limited edition of 25 gloss photographic pri...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Portrait of Alfred Stieglitz
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
This is a photogravure that came out of a 1930's Camera Works. They are high quality prints from the artist's negatives and were put together in these historic spiral bound books. ...
Photogravure
Charlie Chaplin, Hat Trick #1
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Charlie Chaplin, Hat Trick #3
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Steel-work of the George Washington Bridge
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Isadora Duncan at the Portal of the Parthenon, Athens, 1921
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Anna May Wong, 1930
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Charlie Chaplin, 1928
By Edward Steichen
Located in Westwood, NJ
These selenium toned silver gelatin prints are the photographs of Edward Steichen, printed by the renowned photographer George Tice. Tice was the last person to print for Steichen i...
Silver Gelatin
Torso, Paris
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
Torso, Paris, 1902 : The Early Years Portfolio, 1901–1927 photogravure Image Size: 6 1/2 x 8 3/8 inches Paper Size: 20 x 16 inches Ediiton of 500
Photogravure
Heavy Roses
By Edward Steichen
Located in New York, NY
Heavy Roses, Voulangis, France, 1914 photogravure image size: 8 x 10 inches paper size: 20 x 15 1/4 inches Edition of 500
Photogravure
Wheelbarrow With Flower Pots
By Edward Steichen
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Silver gelatin print Edition 78/100 Provenance: General Electric Corporate Collection Heather James Fine Art
Sunday Night, 40th Street
By Edward Steichen
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Silver gelatin print Edition 78/100 Provenance: General Electric Corporate Collection Heather James Fine Art
Venerable Tree Trunk
By Edward Steichen
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Silver gelatin print Edition 78/100