Skip to main content
Advanced Search
The Steerage
On View
On view
Object number1993/4.31

The Steerage

Maker (American, 1864-1946)
Date1907
Mediumphotogravure on vellum
Dimensionsimage: 13 in. × 10 3/8 in. (33 × 26.4 cm)
sheet: 18 3/8 × 12 11/16 in. (46.7 × 32.2 cm)
mat: 24 × 18 in. (61 × 45.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Wm. John Upjohn
Exhibition History"Kalamazoo Collects Photography," KIA (Mar. 1980). "70 Years, 70 Works from the KIA Permanent Collection," KIA (Nov. 19, 1994 - Feb. 10, 1995). "Selections from the Permanent Collection," KIA (Mar. - Apr. 1997). "Masterworks on Paper," KIA Long Gallery (Sept. 2005 - Jan. 2006). "Light Works: Photographs from the Collection," KIA Long Gallery (Sept. 18 - Dec. 12, 2010). "Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015). "Light Works: A Century of Photography," KIA traveling exhibit. Nassau County Museum of Art, (Nov. 19, 2016 - Mar. 5, 2017).Label TextThe Steerage is an iconic photograph for two reasons: it suggests key changes underway in 1907’s art world, while also symbolizing one of the key social issues of its time, American immigration. Often perceived as an early twentieth-century image representing immigration and class differences (indicated by differing conditions and populations on the ship’s upper and lower decks), The Steerage was actually taken on a voyage Stieglitz's family took from the U.S. to Europe. This photograph is also praised for its formal composition and geometric shapes, signaling Stieglitz’s advocacy for photography as an art form, and eventually becoming an important influence on the history of modernist art in the U.S. Nonetheless, The Steerage documents questions about the makeup, character, and meaning of “America” that circulated widely in an era when mass immigration led many to reconsider the nation’s identity. [Label Text: For the People: America at 250 Exhibition, June 27 - October 4, 2026]