From the Back-Window, “291” by Alfred Stieglitz (1915)

The photograph titled “From the Back-Window, 291” is a work by Alfred Stieglitz from the year 1915. The image depicts a nighttime cityscape viewed from the back window of an urban building. The foreground is dominated by the dark, silhouette-like outlines of lower buildings, possibly residential, some featuring laundry hanging out to dry. These elements create a distinct contrast against the bright, glowing facade of a towering skyscraper in the background that pierces the night sky, its many windows alight, suggesting the hustle and bustle of city life. The composition captures the juxtaposition of intimate daily life against the grandeur of early 20th-century urban architecture, with a sense of depth and atmospheric perspective contributed by the varying levels of illumination and shadow.

Other Photographs from Alfred Stieglitz

Scroll to Top