Helen LevittNew York (girl with lily)Circa 1942
Circa 1942
About the Item
- Creator:Helen Levitt (1913-2009, American)
- Creation Year:Circa 1942
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Width: 9.25 in (23.5 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU30229893432
Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt often commented that the reason she expressed herself through photography was that she was inarticulate with the spoken word. One of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th century among her peers but least known by the public, from a young age she wanted to create art but knew her talents with a paintbrush or a charcoal pencil were limited. She discovered a way to artistically express herself — through the lens of a camera.
Levitt was born in Brooklyn, New York. At 18, she dropped out of high school to work in a portrait photographer’s darkroom — eventually trying her hand at photography. She trained herself to take better compositions by studying paintings in museums around New York and then using her mother’s friends as practice subjects. In 1936, after discovering the works of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson she purchased her first camera and began to take pictures of neighborhood children making sidewalk chalk drawings.
Levitt took her portfolio to the studio of Walker Evans — another photographer which she admired. Struck by her thoughtful compositions and natural talent, he hired her as his assistant. She began photographing ordinary street life in the lower-class neighborhoods of East Harlem, the Lower East Side and the Garment District in New York City.
In 1939, Levitt’s photographs were published in Fortune magazine. Later that same year, she received a grant from the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Guggenheim Foundation. Seeing a similarity in film noir to what she was trying to capture in black and white photography, she became a film editor. She worked on several films including The Quiet One, an Academy Award nominee.
In 1959 Levitt began to photograph in color but eventually returned to black and white photography in the 1990s. A collection of her photographs of children and their chalk drawings were eventually published, in 1987, in a book called In the Street: Chalk Drawings and Messages. Some of her color photographs were published in Slide Show in 2005.
On 1stDibs find original Helen Levitt black and white photography, portrait photography, color photography and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New Hope, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Untitled (from the "Women Are Beautiful" portfolio)By Garry WinograndLocated in New York, NYThis print is from the artist's "Women Are Beautiful" portfolio, published in 1981. This 11 x 14 inch print is framed is a silver metal frame measu...Category
1960s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- New York (woman with milk bottles)By Helen LevittLocated in New York, NY11 x 6 7/8 inch gelatin silver print - signed, titled, and dated on verso. Provenance - from the James Agee Family Collection Helen Levitt was a true master...Category
1940s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- New York (consoling woman)By Helen LevittLocated in New York, NY11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print. Image size 7.25 x 10.75 inches. Signed on verso Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vision, humor, and inventiveness tr...Category
1930s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- New York (one boy consoling another)By Helen LevittLocated in New York, NY7 x 11 inch gelatin silver print - signed, titled, and dated on verso. Provenance - from the James Agee Family Collection Helen Levitt was a true master of ...Category
1940s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- New York (laughing women)By Helen LevittLocated in New York, NY11 x 13 7/8 inch gelatin silver print. Signed, titled, and dated on verso. Provenance - from the James Agee Family Collection Helen Levitt was a true master...Category
1940s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- New York (three kids with masks)By Helen LevittLocated in New York, NY8 1/8 x 11 inch gelatin silver print, printed later. Titled and dated by the artist on verso as "N.Y. circa 1942." Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vis...Category
1940s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Jimmy Page, San Francisco, CABy Herb GreeneLocated in New York, NY16x20” Limited Edition Next available edition printed upon purchase. Other sizes available. Please allow 4 weeks for production.Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Jerry Garcia, San Francisco, CABy Herb GreeneLocated in New York, NY16x20” Limited Edition Next available edition printed upon purchase. Other sizes available. Please allow 4 weeks for production.Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Jerry Garcia and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, San Francisco, CA 1967By Herb GreeneLocated in New York, NY16x20” Limited Edition Next available edition printed upon purchase. Other sizes available. Please allow 4 weeks for production.Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Paul Kantner, San Francisco, CABy Herb GreeneLocated in New York, NY16x20” Limited Edition Next available edition printed upon purchase. Other sizes available. Please allow 4 weeks for production.Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Taj Mahal, San Francisco, CABy Herb GreeneLocated in New York, NY16x20” Limited Edition Next available edition printed upon purchase. Other sizes available. Please allow 4 weeks for production.Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Jerry Garcia, San Francisco, CA 1979By Herb GreeneLocated in New York, NY16x20” Limited Edition Next available edition printed upon purchase. Other sizes available. Please allow 4 weeks for production.Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin