Dorothy Norman 1937

This portrait of Dorothy Norman, by Alfred Stieglitz, is a small, intimate photograph, printed in monochrome. The tonal range is really beautiful; it captures so many shades, it almost feels like there is color in the photograph. I wonder what it was like to stand before Stieglitz’s lens? Did she feel exposed or seen, perhaps both? Her soft, yet strong gaze makes me want to know what she might have been thinking at the time. I bet Stieglitz was trying to show her essence, some kind of truth. Something that he saw. The dark hat and furry shawl that frame her face remind me of a stage, drawing the eyes to her direct, almost defiant gaze. It makes me think about how artists capture their subjects and the various ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world. Stieglitz was in conversation with other image makers - and we can trace a line between them, across time, sparking new ways of seeing.