Edward Steichen

Edward Steichen was married thrice. He married his first wife, Clara Smith, in 1903. They had two daughters together named Mary and Katherine. Steichen and Smith divorced in 1922 after Steichen was accused of having an affair.

He married Dana Desboro Glover in 1923. They remained married until she died in 1957.

He married a final time in 1960 to Joanna Taub.

Edward Steichen was born on March 27, 1879. He was born in Bivange, Luxembourg, to Jean-Pierre Steichen and Marie Steichen. He had a younger sister Lilian.

The family emigrated to the United States in 1880. They settled in 1881 in the city of Chicago. When Steichen was 10, the family relocated to Milwaukee in 1889.

In 1894, Steichen started a lithography apprenticeship with the American Fine Art Company of Milwaukee. This lasted for four years. He used his free time to teach himself how to paint, sketch, and draw.

In 1895 Steichen bought his first camera. He bought it from a camera shop near his workplace, and it was a second-hand Kodak.

Edward Steichen's career took off around 1900. It was at this time he met Alfred Stieglitz, an American photographer, whom he met during a chance stop in New York City.

Stieglitz was a big fan of Steichen's work and bought three of his photographic prints. In 1902, he hired Steichen to design a custom logo for a magazine.

In 1904, Steichen began experimentation with the Autochrome Lumiere process. He was one of the first photographers in America to use this process.

Stieglitz and Steichen opened "Little Galleries of Photo-Succession" in 1905. They would later re-name it ‘291’.

In 1911, Steichen conducted what is regarded as the first modern fashion shoot. It used fashion as a form of fine art. The photos were published in the April edition of ‘Art Et Decoration’.

One of Steichen's most famous works is ‘The Pond–Moonlight'. One of the three known prints in existence sold for $2.9 million in 2006. This 1904 photograph is famous because it looks as if it was painted with watercolor. This was before the autochrome process of color photography was invented, which make it so valuable. The hand-layering method used to create the watercolor effect means that none of the prints are exactly alike.

Steichen's other major work is his ‘The Family of Man’ exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. This exhibition depicts life in 68 countries, invoking a sense of unity in viewers. It is well-known for the sheer scope of the project.