Dorothy Norman 1936

This is a gelatin silver print of Dorothy Norman made by Alfred Stieglitz, but when exactly, we don't know. The whole image is built on a contrast between heavy shadow and stark light. The lighting here isn’t just a technical thing; it’s emotional. The way the light falls, sharp and almost violent, feels like a metaphor for the way we reveal and conceal ourselves. It's almost sculptural, like a dark Brancusi. What’s visible is Dorothy’s face – that quizzical expression, amplified by the heavy contrast – and a hint of her clothing. The texture has that wonderful sheen typical of gelatin silver prints, but really, it’s the tonal range that grabs you. The relationship between Stieglitz and Norman was a long and intense one, this feels like a counterpart to his pictures of Georgia O'Keefe; the kind of long-term engagement that slowly reveals itself over time. Like a conversation, where you discover new things with each encounter. These photographic portraits never have fixed meanings; instead they become fluid, shifting with our own experiences.