Upper Arlington Public Library

Photography's First Movements

Photo-Secession and Pictorialism

Explore this movement with photography professor Claire Wiedman, and hear about some of the artists who participated in it, including photographers from the Columbus area. 

Alfred Stieglitz coined the term Photo-Secession to mark the point when photography broke away from expectations of straightforward documentation. The photographers involved, who varied based on the whims of Stieglitz, the gallery he controlled, and his magazine, "Camera Work," pursued the idea of photography as a fine art, of equal merit to painting, printmaking, and drawing. Although this is a common stance today, it was not adopted by arts institutions and wider society at the turn of the 20th century. Images created as part of this movement emphasized beauty, a handmade feel, and the uniqueness of each print. 

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