The Harvest, Mittenwald 1886

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, "The Harvest, Mittenwald," with a platinum print. The image is a rural scene, and shows a young peasant woman working the land. Taken in Germany, the photograph invokes a sense of pastoral simplicity but was produced during a period of rapid industrialization. We can see the tension between tradition and modernity. Stieglitz was a key figure in promoting photography as a fine art, fighting for its acceptance in galleries and museums. He positions the young woman in a way that invites the viewer to engage with the subject as something more than just labour. To understand this work more fully, we can research the cultural context of early 20th-century Germany, the history of photography as an art form, and Stieglitz's own writings and artistic philosophy. By situating art within its time, we gain insight into the complex interplay between aesthetics and social forces.