Born in Luxembourg and raised in the United States, Edward Steichen began his career as a painter before transitioning to photography, where he became a central figure in the Pictorialist movement. He gained early acclaim for his atmospheric, soft-focus images and his collaborative work with Alfred Stieglitz at the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession in New York.

Steichen is best known for his mastery of portraiture and his role in defining modern fashion photography. His 1911 gown images for Art et Décoration are widely cited as the first modern fashion photographs. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, his work for Condé Nast magazines solidified his reputation as the most prominent and commercially successful photographer of his era.

Beyond his commercial output, Steichen served as a curator, most notably as the Director of the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His influence on the medium extended through his curation of major exhibitions, which helped elevate photography to a fine art status within institutional settings.