Camera Work, No. 1

With the birth of the Photo-Secession in 1902, it seemed only natural for Stieglitz to establish a new periodical that would continue to present the best in artistic photography. For the cover of Camera Work, first issued in January 1903, Steichen designed a hand-drawn title in an Art Nouveau style inspired by the work of Josef Hoffmann and the Vienna Secession. Camera Work featured articles on aesthetics, exhibition reviews, poetry, and—most important—exquisitely produced photogravure reproductions. For the first five years the periodical was devoted almost exclusively to photography, but beginning in 1908 its focus turned more toward contemporary art in other media, as Stieglitz’s interest in avant-garde European and American painting and sculpture grew. The final issue, in 1917, marked a return to photography and was devoted to the work of Paul Strand.