[Refracted Window: Vortograph]

Alvin Langdon Coburn

1916–17 · Gelatin silver print · Photographs

Alvin Langdon Coburn first gained recognition for his portraits of British men of letters, but his lasting contribution to modern art was the "Vortograph," the first intentionally abstract photograph. While working in London with Ezra Pound, Coburn attached to his lens three mirrors that fractured the camera image into a pattern of nonrepresentational planes, as does a kaleidoscope. This photograph shows a studio skylight refracted by mirrors.

Artist

Alvin Langdon Coburn

Date

1916–17

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gift of Silas R. Mountsier III, 1986