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The Dying Chestnut Tree

1927
Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864–1946)
This large print presents a sharp contrast to the smaller, lusher nature studies that Stieglitz made at his Lake George retreat. He created several tree series over the years, turning his camera to apple trees, birches, a maple, this chestnut, and, in the 1930s, the poplar trees on the property. In 1932, he exhibited a group of images of this imposing tree under the general title The Dying Chestnut Tree-My Teacher, suggesting it held special meaning for him. Some of its branches end bluntly in stumps while others fan out like desperate, grasping fingers. Stieglitz photographed the tree again around 1937, shifting the title to The Dead Chestnut Tree.

Object Details

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