The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 24, 2024

The Coconut Factory

The Coconut Factory

c. 1930 (printed 1979)
(American, 1899–1986)
Image: 12.8 x 9.9 cm (5 1/16 x 3 7/8 in.); Paper: 12.8 x 9.9 cm (5 1/16 x 3 7/8 in.)
© Estate of Ralph Steiner
Location: not on view

Description

Between 1900 and 1929, industrialization and rapid economic growth led to the creation of numerous factories. But many of them went idle or reduced their output and work schedule during the Depression. Steiner was born in Cleveland to a working-class Czech family. Like Doris Ulmann, whose work is nearby, he began as a fine art photographer in the Pictorialist style. However, soft focus and romanticized views soon gave way in his work to modernist formalism and sharp-eyed urban views such as this.
  • From Riches to Rags: American Photography in the Depression. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 13-December 31, 2017).
  • {{cite web|title=The Coconut Factory|url=false|author=Ralph Steiner|year=c. 1930 (printed 1979)|access-date=24 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.316