In 1905 Edward Steichen, dissatisfied with the exhibition opportunities in New York, proposed to Stieglitz that they open a gallery in the small apartment next to his residence at 291 Fifth Avenue. The purpose of this gallery would be not only to exhibit the work of the Photo-Secession, but also to show the work of the modern artists emerging from Europe.
From 1907 through 1917, the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession – better known as 291 (from its street address) – staged some of the most important early exhibitions of modern art held in America, featuring artists like Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, and other European modernists. In most cases, these were the first showings of their work in New York.