Made in the year that the Photo-Secession was formed, Clarence White's "The Orchard" perfectly embodies the tenets of Pictorialism: expressive, rather than narrative or documentary, content; craftsmanship in the execution of the print; and a carefully constructed composition allied to the paintings of the Impressionists and the American tonalists, and to the popular prints of Japan. White was a founding member of the Photo-Secession, a friend of Alfred Stieglitz and F. Holland Day, and a highly praised contributor to (and occasional juror for) photographic exhibitions at home and abroad. He participated in the group exhibitions of the Photo-Secession and was featured in issue number 23 of the group's influential and exquisitely printed journal "Camera Work" (1908). After moving to New York in 1906, White taught photography, first at Columbia University and later at the Clarence White School, exerting influence in his later years more as a teacher than as an active artist.
