Edward Steichen, born on this day

Edward Steichen (1879-1973) was an American photographer, painter and museum curator who helped transform photography into an art form.
Steichen was co-founder, with Alfred Stieglitz, of the Photo-Secession movement, an organization dedicated to photography as a fine art, and its exhibition gallery, called "291."
At the age of 68 Steichen was named director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Of the many exhibitions he created, the largest and most famous was "The Family of Man." This exhibition of 503 photographs toured throughout America and overseas. The book of the same title became a best seller. His involvement as a curator helped promote photography to the status of an acknowledged art form. Learn more.