291 (art gallery)

The address 291 Fifth Avenue once housed one of the most influential spaces in the history of American art. From 1905 to 1917, this small, top-floor suite of rooms operated under the name 291. It began as the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, a space dedicated to proving that photography belonged in the same artistic league as painting and sculpture. The gallery was established by the photographer Alfred Stieglitz, who used his own reputation and tireless advocacy to challenge the era's narrow definition of fine art.