Originally trained as a painter, Edward Steichen was an early champion of the Photo-Secession movement, a group of notable artist who sought to elevate photography into the world of fine art. Founded in 1902 under the leadership of Alfred Stieglitz, Photo-Secessionists rejected the prevailing notion of photography as a merely mechanical or documentary medium by employing elaborate techniques in the darkroom like platinum printing, bromoil transfer, and hand-tinting. The resulting photographs possess a likeness similar to oil paintings with rich tonality and textured surfaces. Each print from this era was unmistakably unique, reflecting each artist’s unique vision and craftsmanship.

Printed as a gelatin silver print, Steichen applied hand-coloring to the present lot to create the blueish-green hue in the image. The formal elements of this romantic scene – the road receding into shadow, the silhouetted trees, the softly glowing moon – epitomize the aesthetic vision and goals of the Photo-Secession. A master print maker with an exacting eye, the artist insisted on personally hand-tinting each individual print to be published in the Stieglitz’s seminal photo-journal Camera Work as part of the Steichen Supplement in 1906. A tribute to Steichen’s immense contributions to the medium, the present lot is an ideal representation of the innovation in photography at the turn of the century.