FlashroomArt & culture
Stieglitz’s The Terminal and the small camera on city streets
A compact 4-by-5 camera let Stieglitz respond to the street scene that became The Terminal.
Alfred Stieglitz’s The Terminal documents a horse-drawn streetcar scene in New York and also marks a change in photographic practice. The Metropolitan Museum connects its small camera to a greater freedom of movement than the large view cameras favored by many art photographers.
A street scene caught in weather
The Met dates the exposure to 1893 and describes a streetcar driver watering his horses in snow and steam. Stieglitz used a small 4-by-5 camera rather than an 8-by-10 view camera that needed a tripod.
That equipment choice made it easier to move through the city and react to changing street life. Yet Stieglitz also used rain, snow and smoke to soften tones, joining observation with a pictorial sense of atmosphere.
Evidence: Museum collection record
Several versions, one image
The Terminal appeared later as photogravure and gelatin-silver prints, and a lantern slide version was projected at the Royal Photographic Society in 1897. The photograph circulated in formats meant for different audiences and viewing conditions.
The Met records that the familiar title replaced its original exhibition title, The Terminus. This small naming change is a reminder that even a well-known image can have a history of presentation and recaptioning.
Evidence: Museum collection record · Museum collection record
Photography and urban observation
The picture shows how a portable camera could support an approach to city life based on movement, weather and ordinary labor. It helped anticipate “straight photography,” though the image still uses formal choices associated with pictorial composition.
Compared with an automated portrait booth, The Terminal places the photographer outside the scene, observing people who are not arranging themselves for a keepsake. It is adjacent history about how photographic mobility changed what could be pictured.
Evidence: Museum collection record
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Alfred Stieglitz, The TerminalMuseum collection record
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Alfred Stieglitz, The Terminus lantern slideMuseum collection record