“This exhibition focuses on Stieglitz’s enduring 1907 photogravure of steerage-class passengers aboard the ocean liner Kaiser Wilhelm II. This much-reproduced image has often been regarded as evidence of the poor conditions under which many immigrants arrived in America, but in fact was taken on a voyage from the United States to Europe. As such, it is a document of people who were likely denied entry and citizenship to the United States. Stieglitz’s concerns, however, were largely aesthetic rather than social-minded: he was moved more by the picture’s formal qualities than its subject matter. Stieglitz considered the work to be his greatest triumph in a long, illustrious career as a photographer, stating later in life, ‘If all my photographs were lost, and I’d be represented by just one, The Steerage, I’d be satisfied’.” — The Jewish Museum
Arnold Newman (American, 1918-2006), Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe, An American Place, New York City, 1944, gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm). The Jewish Museum, New York, gift of Augusta and Arnold Newman, 1994-19. © Arnold Newman
Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864-1946), The Steerage, 1907, photogravure, 15 7/8 × 11 1/8 in. (40.4 × 28.1 cm). The Jewish Museum, New York, purchase: Mr. and Mrs. George Jaffin Fund, 2000-6
Installation view of Masterpieces & Curiosities: Alfred Stieglitz’s The Steerage. Photo: David Heald
Vik Muniz (Brazilian, b. 1961), The Steerage (after Alfred Stieglitz), from Pictures of Chocolate, 2000, silver dye bleach print , 37 ¾ x 30 ¼ in. (95.9 x 76.8 cm). The Jewish Museum, New York, gift of Melva Bucksbaum, 2000-74. Artwork © Vik Muniz / Licensed by VAGA, New York
Photograph of soldiers on the USS Agamemnon cheering as they return home from battles in France, Hoboken, New Jersey, c. 1919. Image provided by Corbis
Installation view of Masterpieces & Curiosities: Alfred Stieglitz’s The Steerage. Photo: David Heald
Postcard of the Kaiser Wilhelm II passing the Statue of Liberty
Postcard of the first-class smoking room on the Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Stanley Lehrer Ocean Liner. Collection, South Street Seaport Museum Foundation, South Street Seaport Museum, New York
Images courtesy The Jewish Museum. Installation view photos by David Heald.