In 1897 Stieglitz founded the New York Camera Club only to leave it in 1902 to found the school of Photo Secession. Camera Work first appeared in 1903 as the public face of this movement which was “seceeding from the accepted idea of what constitutes a photograph.” 291 Fifth Avenue, a fifteen square foot room of avant garde art and photography, housed Stieglitz and his contemporaries. In an attempt to reinvigorate the perception of 291, Stieglitz, fellow artists and financiers created a new representative, the short lived magazine 291.

Stieglitz was rabidly anti-commercial. His primary concern was the elevation of photography and the advancement of the arts. He cared little for sacrificing his art to advertise to a willing and diverse American population.

Compiled by Alexander Camp Entrekin (Class of '06, Davidson College)