ABSTRACT
In 1910, Alfred Stieglitz used the title "The City of Ambition" to describe his photograph of New York's busy harbor set against smoking factories and towering office buildings. Human invention reigned supreme; technology had conquered nature. Although the picture conveyed modernity and economic prowess, it was dark. The gray clouds above reflected the swirling waters below in ominous commentary on the perils of prosperity. Yet, the title effectively captured Gotham's aggressive, optimistic commitment to progress. From 1900 to 1919, that quest would repeatedly roil New York as ambition pervaded the city, challenged convention, and stimulated conflict. l
Another somber photograph, another image ofambition depicted a man, not a place. He was a figure as formidable as his city and, to many people, more so. In early-twentieth-century New York, the only thing that J. Pierpont Morgan could not control was the camera. Taken by Stieglitz'S friend, Edward Steichen, the famous 1903 portrait of Morgan captured the essence of a man called Jupiter because he was as omnipotent as an ancient Roman god. Reflecting the searing power ofhis influence, Morgan stared sternly out from the dark recesses of the picture elegantly attired with stiff collar, silk ascot, golden watch, and chain. His left hand tightly clutched the arm ofhis chair as if symbolizing the intensity of his grip on the American economy. Morgan so hated the picture that he tore the first print to shreds.2
