Steichen, << STY kuhn >> Edward (1879-1973), was an American photographer who helped develop photography as a creative art. Early in his career, Steichen was a painter as well as a photographer. He became known for the soft, hazy qualities of his photographs of landscapes and people.
Steichen was a member of the Photo-Secession, a group formed in 1902 by Alfred Stieglitz, another American photographer. The group promoted photography as a fine art. Steichen helped Stieglitz publish the magazine Camera Work. They also worked together in organizing art exhibits in New York City.
During World War I (1914-1918), Steichen organized an aerial photography unit for the United States Army. After the war, he began to take sharp, detailed photographs. From 1923 to 1938, he was chief photographer for two fashion magazines, Vanity Fair and Vogue. From 1947 to 1962, Steichen directed the photography department of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He assembled a famous exhibit there in 1955 called “The Family of Man,” which consisted of 503 photographs of people throughout the world.
Edward Steichen was born Eduard Jean Steichen on March 21, 1879, in Luxembourg. His family settled in the United States in 1882. He died on March 25, 1973.
