A Bit of New York 1913

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, A Bit of New York, in the early 20th century. The towers loom up like gothic cathedrals, but they're veiled in the softest grays. I can almost feel the damp air, the city breathing in this image. It makes me wonder, what was Stieglitz thinking as he framed this shot? Was he trying to capture the city's relentless march forward or maybe just a fleeting moment of quiet amidst the chaos? The buildings feel like giants, dwarfing the little plots of land in the foreground. The shadows and the muted palette give it a haunting quality, like a memory fading at the edges. It reminds me of the Ashcan School painters, like John Sloan, who were also capturing these gritty slices of urban life. It's funny how a photograph can be like a painting – a way of seeing, a way of feeling, a way of making sense of the world.