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THE PHOTOGRAPHER AS EDUCATOR: A STUDY OF THE WORK OF ALFRED STIEGLITZ AND JACOB A. RIIS
Abstract
This study focuses on the careers of two photographers, Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) and Jacob A. Riis (1849-1914), and examines their work in terms of its educative intentions, content, and consequences. Stieglitz and Riis did not occupy traditional pedagogical roles in schools or universities, but nonetheless they assumed positions of influence and sought to inform and shape the values and actions of their contemporaries. They occupied formative positions within two traditions of photography which have evolved around their respective concerns: photography as a means of social analysis and criticism, and photography as a fine art. As a journalist and seminal figure in the social reform movement of the late 19th century in America, Riis was among the first photographers in this country to see the potential of the photograph as a direct means of social criticism. By documenting the tenement house conditions of New York City (primarily in the 1880's and early 1890's), Riis introduced his photographs into a broad campaign for urban reform. Responding to social tensions caused by urbanization and immigration, he used the dominant systems of communication and nonformal education to disseminate information, advocate tenement house improvements, and argue for a more humane approach to the problem of urban poverty. This study concentrates on Riis's career from the late 1880's to the early 1890's. During that period, he presented his photographs as lantern slides in a series of public lectures. These lectures subsequently became the content of a book in 1890, entitled How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York. As an artist, intellectual, and leader of avant-garde movements in art, Alfred Stieglitz responded to a less tangible problem and sought to teach a more elusive principle--an appreciation of contemporary art. Aware of the psychological and perceptual reorientation which the beginning of the twentieth century signaled, Stieglitz worked outside of the mainstream of popular culture and established his own alternative network for monitoring cultural changes, contributing to them, and conveying their meaning to an often less than appreciative public. Although Stieglitz worked on many fronts, this study concentrates on the years between 1890-1917 during which he founded the radical photographic group, the Photo-Secession, published the innovative quarterly Camera Work, and directed the controversial art gallery "291" which became increasingly devoted to displaying the work of the European and American avant-garde. The thesis of this study is that through their public activities and the nature of their photographic images, Riis and Steiglitz exerted a significant intellectual and ethical influence on their contemporaries and essentially functioned as teachers within the context of nonformal education. The work of both men is analyzed according to their primary messages, their strategies for conveying them, and the implications of their work. In addition to accounts of their projects, the study also traces the educational implications of the photographic images in America during the years leading up to the contributions of Riis and Stieglitz. The study concludes that Riis and Stieglitz exemplify not only two divergent attitudes toward photography but that they also reflect complementary attitudes toward knowledge and teaching. Riis insisted that his contemporaries become more politically engaged, assume responsibility for improving social conditions, and collaboratively work on solving problems in society. Whereas Riis insisted on a sustained and vigorous look outward, into social conditions, Stieglitz invited individuals to reflect more on the process of self-education, the development of individual judgment, insight, and means of self-expression.
Subject Area
Education history
Recommended Citation
CARLSON, KATHRYN EDITH, "THE PHOTOGRAPHER AS EDUCATOR: A STUDY OF THE WORK OF ALFRED STIEGLITZ AND JACOB A. RIIS" (1981). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI8110313.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8110313