Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred was born in New Jersey in 1864. Born to a German father and Jewish mother, he had two younger siblings who were twins. His father serving as an officer for the Union army bought his way out of future fighting, sold his company and moved his family to Germany. Stieglitz, who was unchallenged in American schools took to the rigorous studying involved in German schools. He then took to mechanical engineering school. He enrolled in a chemistry class taught by a famous photographer, who helped him find an engineering outlet that also let out his creative side. He then met more German artists who taught him to pull art from nature, this is where he bought his first camera and traveled the country side. His brother died and his father called him home. His father (loving his first born son) helped him start a photo company where he paid so highly to his photographers and demanded such high quality he rarely made a profit. He then purchased his first hand-held camera. He then married a family friends daughter, which later found he was too brash and did not actually love her. It was more of a financial helper than one of love. Alfred went on to marry Georgia O'Keeffe, he slowly became one of the biggest influences for photography to become noted as an art form. He passed at the age of 82.