In this black and white horizontal photograph, people and horse-drawn carriages travel along and cross a rain-slicked, urban street. The photograph is roughly divided in half horizontally so the lower half shows a the wet pavement of a wide intersection, momentarily clear of people, where two streets meet in a T intersection. The upper half shows shops and buildings along a tree-lined street at the corner to our left, and along the long, cross street to our right. On the corner, clothing and other wares are displayed outside under an awning , while another display is covered over with a tarp. There are about ten people are on foot crossing the street toward us, while several horse-drawn carriages with large, spoked wheels, driven by caped and top-hatted men, pass through or are parked alongside the curb on the far side of the street. Some of the pedestrians hold up dark umbrellas, while only one man, without an umbrella, crosses the street walking away from us. All of the men wear dark suits and hats. The one woman crossing with the group wears a long skirt and matching thigh-length coat over a contrasting buttoned bodice. She holds up her skirts in one hand and her umbrella in the other. At the far corner, several tall multi-paneled kiosks with domed tops are papered with posters. Across the street is an uninterrupted row of buildings and shops with rows of shuttered windows above. A small triangular slice of sky can be seen between the building at the left and the trees lining the street; its reflection is mirrored on the wet street.
Alfred Stieglitz, A Wet Day on the Boulevard, Paris, 1894, carbon print, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949.3.108

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Alfred Stieglitz Key Set

In 1949, Georgia O’Keeffe and the Alfred Stieglitz Estate donated 1,311 photographs by Alfred Stieglitz to the National Gallery of Art and placed on deposit an additional collection of 331 portraits of O’Keeffe, which were later given to the Gallery in 1980. This collection, known as the Key Set, is an unparalleled selection of Stieglitz’s photographs, containing at least one print of every mounted photograph in his possession at the time of his death. It remains one of the most important photographic collections in existence. Carefully selected by O’Keeffe to include the finest examples, the Key Set traces the evolution of Stieglitz’s work, from its inception in the 1880s to its rich maturation in the 1930s, and thoroughly documents all aspects of his decisive contribution to the art of photography.

Previously available only in print, the Alfred Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition represents the definitive publication on the artist’s work. Incorporating updated scholarship, including recent conservation findings, as well as overviews of the major periods in his art, robust search functionality, and advanced image viewing and comparison tools, the Online Edition opens up new avenues for researching—and being inspired by—Stieglitz’s work.

Explore highlights of the Key Set, browse by subject or person, or search the Key Set to view all Key Set photographs and filter results by Key Set number, negative date, photographic process, or other criteria.

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