The Steerage and Alfred Stieglitz

"Alfred Stieglitz's The Steerage (1907) is one of the most famous images of the twentieth century, and one which raises complex issues regarding art photography and subject matter. The pairing of Anne MacCauley's well-contextualized historical analysis with Jason Francisco's more philosophical and poetic reading gives great insight into this important photograph. Together, they offer a new and fascinating take on a canonical work."--Kim Sichel, author of Germaine Krull: Photographer of Modernity.

"It is past time for the history of Stieglitz' The Steerageto be deconstructed, and for the myths surrounding it to be replaced with rational analysis. McCauley's and Francisco's essays are each well-conceived and executed, filled with promising ideas, new ways of approaching this canonic image, and tactics for separating myth from truth. Together they present a beautiful contrast of styles, and make this book a very important re-evaluation of a well-known masterpiece." --Joel Leivick, Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor in Photography, Department of Art and Art History, Stanford University

Jason Francisco is an acclaimed photographer and the Chair of the Visual Arts Department at Emory University. He is the author of Far From Zion: Jews, Diaspora, Memory (Stanford, 2006). Elizabeth Anne McCauley is David H. McAlpin Professor of the History of Photography and Modern Art at Princeton University and the author of Industrial Madness: Commercial Photography in Paris 1848-71 (Yale, 1994).