Georgia O'Keeffe 1933

This is a photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe, made by Alfred Stieglitz using gelatin silver print, a popular process at the time. The gelatin silver process involves coating paper with light-sensitive silver halides suspended in gelatin. The amount of work involved in the production process reflects the convergence of chemistry, optics, and darkroom practice. The tonal range is rich, the textures smooth. Stieglitz masterfully coaxes a full spectrum of grays to describe O’Keeffe’s features. Note how the light interacts with her skin, and how it renders the planes of her face. Photographs like this one were central to the artistic avant-garde of the early 20th century, and to the development of photography as a fine art. In many ways, photography democratized portraiture. Yet the labor of creating such an image – the skill, the equipment, and the artistry required – remind us that even a seemingly straightforward photograph is a highly crafted object.