Janet Lehr, New York, 1977; Private collection.

Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864-1946) The Steerage, 1907 Large-format photogravure on Japanese tissue, 1915 13 x 10-1/2 inches (33.0 x 26.7 cm) (image) 16 x 11 inches (sheet) PROVENANCE: Janet Lehr, New York, 1977; Private collection. In a provenance letter by Janet Lehr accompanying this lot, she states that this photogravure was selected by Alfred Stieglitz and presented to Dorothy Norman. The September/October 1915 double issue of Alfred Stieglitz's publication 291 (Nos. 7/8) was devoted to photography and featured a photogravure of his celebrated image The Steerage (1907). Under Stieglitz's supervision, five hundred photogravure proofs were printed on Imperial Japan paper for the regular edition, while a smaller edition was produced on thin Japan tissue for the deluxe issue. The regular edition sold for $2, while pricing for the deluxe edition was available on request. Encouraged by the positive response to the photograph, Stieglitz expected many readers to subscribe to 291 in order to obtain a copy of The Steerage. However, little was done to attract subscribers, and Stieglitz and his collaborators overestimated wartime demand for the publication: about 100 people subscribed to the regular edition and only eight to the deluxe edition. In a final satirical gesture, Stieglitz sold the remaining 8,000 or so copies of the regular edition in 1917 to a rag picker for $5.80; he retained the deluxe copies but eventually destroyed most of them. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Overall very good condition. Some scattered areas of foxing to the bottom margin and visible foxing to the lighter areas of the image. Undulations to the top and bottom margins. Sheet is cornered to a window mat where the corners are adhered, preventing further inspection of the full sheet and verso. Framed under glass to 19 x 16 inches.