1894 (negative); 1936 (print)

Mushrooms by the Sea

American, 1864 - 1946

This charming early view was rediscovered by Stieglitz in 1936 and printed as a gift for his close associate Dorothy Norman. Taken on the Lido, a resort island near Venice, the negative was made during Stieglitz's honeymoon trip with his first wife, Emmeline, in 1893, as were several other Italian scenes. On a few occasions during his career, Stieglitz reviewed earlier work and saw new potential in it. In this instance, he was reaching the end of his active career and may simply have chosen to revisit earlier images rather than make new exposures. He inscribed the print to Norman, who had herself visited the Lido in 1926, with the following: "This is an amusing thing I did when at the Lido in 1894. 'Mushrooms by the Sea.' Lake George July 3, 1936."