The Brass Bowl
Like many of Steichen’s early photographs, this image of a languid young woman with a weary gaze recalls the work of Eugène Carrière, a French Symbolist painter who was very much in vogue when Steichen first traveled to Paris to visit the 1900 Exposition Universelle and the nearby Rodin Pavillion (for which Carrière designed the poster). Steichen considered him to be "one of the greatest of modern French painters" and described his moody canvases, which usually portrayed dimly lit figures emerging from a dark field, as securing "an exquisite feeling of atmosphere and shroud[ing] that in a lovely sentiment." It is of little consequence that the woman depicted in The Brass Bowl remains unidentified; the photograph was intended as a mood piece, not a portrait.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Brass Bowl
- Artist: Edward J. Steichen (American (born Luxembourg), Bivange 1879–1973 West Redding, Connecticut)
- Date: 1904
- Medium: Direct carbon print
- Dimensions: 30.4 x 25.6 cm (12 x 10 1/16 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1933
- Object Number: 33.43.6
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Edward J. Steichen
1962
Edward J. Steichen
1917
Edward J. Steichen
1924
Edward J. Steichen
1927
Edward J. Steichen
1943
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.