![#4 [Large Figures on the North Porch, Chartres Cathedral] — Henri-Jean-Louis Le Secq (1852) — Photography as Art: The Met's Most Iconic Photographs](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftop10grid.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fitems%2Fcmms8p35n004jqzebzpkw3lp1.jpg&w=2048&q=75)
![#6 [Entrance to the Port of Boulogne] — Edouard Baldus (1855) — Photography as Art: The Met's Most Iconic Photographs](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftop10grid.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fitems%2Fcmms8p364004nqzeb06it8ink.jpg&w=2048&q=75)
![#9 [Farmyard Scene] — V. Dijon (1850–54) — Photography as Art: The Met's Most Iconic Photographs](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftop10grid.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fitems%2Fcmms8p36u004tqzebnhm8tpyd.jpg&w=2048&q=75)
Timothy H. O'Sullivan, Black Canyon, 1871. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Photography as Art: the Met's Most Iconic Photographs
The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired its first photographs in 1928 and has built one of the world's finest collections — spanning from the earliest daguerreotypes and calotypes of the 1840s through the major movements of the 20th century. The collection is notable for its depth in 19th-century documentary and artistic photography: the survey photographers of the American West, the French pictorialists, the early modernists who established that a photograph could aspire to the condition of painting or printmaking. These are the works that shaped photography's self-image as an art form.
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Frequently asked questions
What defines photography as art in the Met's collection?
The Met considers photographs as art when they demonstrate artistic intent, technical mastery, and cultural significance, displayed alongside other fine art forms in the museum.
Which are some of the most iconic photographs at the Met?
Iconic photographs include Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother,' Alfred Stieglitz's 'The Steerage,' and Ansel Adams's 'Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.'
Where can I view these iconic photographs at the Met?
They are typically housed in the Met's Department of Photographs on the second floor of the main building, though specific galleries may change due to rotating exhibitions.
Are the Met's iconic photographs always on display?
No, many photographs are light-sensitive and are rotated periodically to preserve them; check the museum's website for current exhibition schedules.
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