In his autobiography, legendary photographer and curator Edward Steichen (1879-1973) described photographing Eleonora Duse (1859-1924) in 1904 as his “most concentrated and exciting experience in portraiture. In one day I had the job of photographing two great and completely contrasting personalities, J. Pierpont Morgan and Eleonora Duse, within less than an hour's time” (Edward Steichen, A Life in Photography, 1963, n.p.).

Although Steichen also spoke highly of his sitting with Morgan, in comparison to Duse, his wife Joanna Steichen noted that 'he was so captivated by her enchanting personality that his camera eye lost its objectivity, and the sitting had to be redone” (Joanna Steichen, Steichen: A Legacy, 2000, p. 89).

Italian actress Eleonora Duse, widely considered the greatest of her time, was internationally recognized for captivating audiences just as she had captivated Steichen. In 1923, she was the first woman and the first Italian to be featured on the cover of Time magazine within the first year of publication.

Prior to her sitting with Steichen, Duse had originally requested a portrait session with Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946). However, having seen her star as the lead in the play Camille, Stieglitz was so taken by her performance that he declined to photograph her in order that her image would remain unaltered in his mind. Instead, he suggested Steichen to make her portrait.

After studying photography in Paris at the turn of the 20th century, Steichen returned to New York in 1902 and opened his own portrait studio on Fifth Avenue. Soon after, he worked closely with Stieglitz to establish the revolutionary movement Photo-Secession – a group of photographers dedicated to legitimizing photography’s status in the world of fine art.

The Photo-Secessionists were largely supported by Stieglitz’s journal Camera Work which frequently featured Steichen’s work. An image of the present lot was included as part of the “Steichen Supplement” in the April 1906 issue of Camera Work.

Steichen’s dreamlike portrait of Duse perfectly epitomizes the aesthetic vision of the Photo-Secession. Oftentimes employing a range of elaborate techniques in the darkroom, including the gum bichromate process, bromoil transfer, platinum printing and tinted photogravure, Steichen sought to creat photographs that appeared as complex and layered as paintings with rich tonality and textured surfaces. Each print from this era was unmistakably unique, reflecting the artist’s vision and craftsmanship rather than the result of a merely mechanical process.

This rare print of the legendary actress at one point belonged to Alfred Stieglitz, per the address and notes written on the frame backing – “Return to Alfred Stieglitz 60 E. 65th ST., N.Y. City.” A tribute to Stieglitz and Steichen’s friendship and their immense contributions to the medium, the present lot is an ideal representation of the innovation in photography at the turn of the century. Only two other early prints have come to auction (a carbon pigment and a gum bichromate print) and none in recent history; other prints can be found in the institutional collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (gum); the George Eastman House, Rochester (platinum); and the Library of Congress, Washington D.C. (platinum).