For years Alfred Stieglitz strove tirelessly to gain recognition for photography as an art form. Between 1903 and 1917 he published the magazine Camera Work, in which he reproduced photographs in the most exquisite manner imaginable. In the 36th issue, which came out in 1911, he included a number of his own photographs of New York. This photograph portrays the contrast between old and new construction, history and the rapidly changing present.